Emmitt Finnie’s first full NHL season turned into one of the Red Wings’ best surprises.
The 20-year-old, a 2023 seventh-round pick and the 201st player selected in that Entry Draft, wasn’t supposed to crack Detroit’s opening-night roster. He wasn’t supposed to play every game, either.
But Finnie forced his way into the lineup, earned the trust of coach Todd McLellan and his staff, and kept building on the chance he was given. On Thursday, that breakout year was recognized when Detroit Sports Media named him the Red Wings’ Rookie of the Year.
Finnie appeared in all 82 games and finished with 13 goals, which ranked sixth on the team, along with 17 assists, tied for seventh, and 30 points, good for eighth. He also piled up 131 credited hits, third-most on the Wings.
That production put him in a small club. Finnie became just the third player drafted by Detroit in the seventh round or later to post at least 30 points in a rookie season, joining Henrik Zetterberg, who had 44 points in 2002-03, and Vladimir Konstantinov, who had 34 in 1991-92.
Late in the season, Finnie described the mindset that carried him through camp and into the year.
"I was just coming in and trying to play as hard as I can and see how far that took me into the preseason and start of the season," Finnie said late in the season. "I don't know if I necessarily expected myself to be in the position I'm in, but I came in with a nothing-to-lose mentality, and it worked out for me."
McLellan pointed to the Olympic break in February as a helpful reset for the young forward. Finnie stayed healthy, and the coach said there was a stretch when fatigue started to show before the time off gave him a chance to recover.
"He was able to stay healthy, and there was a time during the year you could see a little fatigue set in," McLellan said. "The Olympic break works for or against players, and for Emmitt it worked because he was able to rest a little bit and recharge his battery.
"(Finnie had) a real good year for us."
Finnie also represented Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF world championship, where he recorded two points - one goal and one assist - and finished with a plus-one rating in six games.
The DSM Red Wings Rookie of the Year Award has been around since the 1948-49 NHL season. Past winners include Hockey Hall of Fame forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Marcel Dionne, along with four Calder Memorial Trophy winners: Moritz Seider, Roger Crozier, Glenn Hall and Terry Sawchuk.
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