Anyone who predicted Detroit Red Wings rookie Emmitt Finnie would be in the Calder Trophy conversation before the start of training camp this fall should quit their day job and become a professional fortuneteller.
Finnie is the rookie that no one really saw coming this season. The former seventh-round pick from the 2023 NHL Draft wasn’t really on many pundits’ radars to make the team, much less enter the Calder Trophy race.
Yet, a strong training camp propelled him to a spot on the Red Wings’ top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. I must admit, I didn’t think Finnie would stick. My impression was that Finnie would get a look and potentially fizzle out as the season went along.
It would be a heartwarming experiment, but an experiment nonetheless.
Well, I have to say that I love it when I’m wrong about things such as this. Finnie has fit in seamlessly in the Red Wings' top six forward group. He’s racked up three goals and seven points in eight games and doesn’t appear to be looking back.
That situation has prompted one anonymous NHL source to declare:
“What a fun player he is to watch right now for the red-hot Red Wings, isn’t he? Just an honest player that goes to the net and the high danger areas and gets rewarded.”
The comments, as quoted by Marco D’Amico in an October 23 piece published on RG Media, underscore that Finnie is not your typical 20-year-old rookie. He’s playing well beyond his years.
The source added:
“He plays such a mature game already that he looks like a veteran out there, really complements that line with Larkin quite well. He’s been great for them and looks like he could be a surprise entrant in this Calder race.”
Thus far, Finnie isn’t exactly a lock, but he’s certainly gaining ground. Barring injury, there’s no reason to discount Finnie from the Calder Trophy race. He’s shown he can ride shotgun with Dylan Larkin.
But beyond keeping up with the Red Wings captain, Emmitt Finnie does a lot of the dirty work that the average top-line player just doesn’t do. He battles, digs for pucks, and goes to the net.
As an old-school hockey guy, I can sympathize with that. In my day, coaches would say, “Go to the net and you’ll get rewarded.”
It seems Emmitt Finnie hopped on a time machine and got that message. The Red Wings are better off for it. Meanwhile, Emmitt Finnie could get rewarded with more than goals and points this season.