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Emmitt Finnie

Snapshots: Finnie, Girard, Klingberg

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The Detroit Red Wings entered training camp looking to find the right left winger to skate on the team’s first line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. After four preseason games, an unexpected candidate appears to have emerged: 2023 seventh-round pick Emmitt Finnie. The 20-year-old winger has scored a goal and registered an assist this preseason, and has generated positive reports due to his performances in training camp.

Today, The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote that Finnie is a legitimate contender to start the season on the Red Wings’ top line. Veteran James van Riemsdyk entered the preseason as the favorite for the role, but has missed all of camp attending to a family matter. Elmer Soderblom was a possibility, but did not make a big impact when given the chance to play with Larkin and Raymond. That leaves Finnie in line to begin the season in that role, which would be quite the way for him to start his full-time pro career. Finnie spent most of last season in the WHL with the Kamloops Blazers, and scored five points in 13 games in a late-season cameo with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

Other notes from across the NHL:

  • This morning, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told Guerilla Sports’ Jesse Montano that veteran defenseman Samuel Girard is nearing a return to the ice, albeit in a non-contact capacity. Girard is currently managing a lower-body injury, and Bednar said the target for the blueliner is to make a return in time for opening night. Girard was Colorado’s number-three defenseman by ice time last season, averaging 20:50 time-on-ice per game including time on both sides of special teams.
  • San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg returned to practice as a non-contact participant, and is nearing a return to full participation according to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng. Klingberg has missed a portion of the last week of training camp recovering from an upper-body injury, but based on today’s reporting it appears his availability for the start of the regular season is not in question. Klingberg signed a one-year, $4MM contract in San Jose this past summer after skating in 19 playoff games for the Edmonton Oilers en route to a Western Conference title.

Red Wings Activate Jeff Petry, Assign Prospect Emmitt Finnie To AHL

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After missing the previous 31 games with an undisclosed injury, Detroit Red Wings’ defenseman Jeff Petry has been removed from injured reserve and is in the lineup tonight against the Utah Hockey Club, per a team release. Petry, who last played Jan. 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, had recently returned to practice. He is skating with Simon Edvinsson on the team’s second defensive pairing. In his first full season in Detroit, Edvinsson has impressed with 26 points, 126 blocked shots, and a plus-4 rating in 65 games.

Although Petry has had just six points in 34 games to begin the year and a minus-seven rating, he has displayed offensive upside throughout his career. The 37-year-old veteran of nearly 1,000 career games has registered 383 points in the NHL and has added an additional 13 points in 48 career playoff tilts. Petry is in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent at season’s end. He had a $6.25MM cap hit this season.

While head coach Todd McLellan noted today that Petry can provide solid puck-moving abilities and a veteran presence for the team, he added the difficulty Petry will face in returning after such a lengthy absence. The Red Wings find themselves five points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card spot in the east.

The team also announced today that they reassigned forward Emmitt Finnie to the AHL from the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. He has captained the Blazers this season while recording 37 goals and 84 points through 55 games. The team’s seventh round selection in 2023 draft is shooting up Detroit’s prospect rankings thanks to his lofty numbers on the season. Finnie, 19, appeared in three AHL contests last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but didn’t record a point.

Red Wings Sign Emmitt Finnie To Entry-Level Contract

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The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward prospect Emmitt Finnie to his entry-level deal (Twitter link). Finnie just concluded his third season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and will join the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins on an amateur try-out for the remainder of the season.

Finnie has earned his entry-level deal just one year after being selected in the seventh round – turning pro after recording 19 goals, 40 assists, and 59 points in 62 WHL games this season; career-highs in all three stats and Finnie’s first point-per-game juniors season. He recorded just 35 points in 64 games last season, but his off-puck impact was too notable for Detroit to ignore at the draft. Finnie makes a play every single shift, showing a keen understanding of where to place himself to force puck battles or intercept passes He may not be the fastest or the flashiest, but he’s a physical forward who doesn’t shy away from a challenge. That mantra has earned Finnie big minutes with Kamloops this season, averaging 22:47 across 75 games – including the preseason. His role amped up in the final stretch, too, with Finnie recording over 27 minutes of ice time in two of his last three games.

Detroit has now awarded Finnie’s efforts, making him the first player from the 2023 seventh round to sign his entry-level deal. He’s bound to face an uphill battle with the AHL’s quicker pace and heavier hitting, though he’ll join a Griffins lineup that’s managed 31 wins in 60 games and ranks 11th in the league in points – giving him the security of joining in a winning lineup.

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