Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen updates the statuses of Red Wings prospects Emmitt Finnie, Dmitri Buchelnikov and Carter Mazur. At the present moment, it’s assumed that Finnie, who is the captain of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, will turn pro after this season:
Finnie’s return from injury [last night, posting 2 goals and 1 assist] is critical to the Blazers’ hopes of qualifying for the WHL playoffs. With 11 games remaining in the WHL schedule, the Blazers trail the Seattle Thunderbird by three points for the final WHL playoff spot.
Dating to before he was injured, Finnie boasts eight goals in his past seven games.
They’re 10th in the WHL Western Conference and trail the Seattle Thunderbirds for the eighth and final playoff spot by three points.
If Kamloops doesn’t make the playoffs, the presumption is Finnie would report to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The WHL season ends March 23, almost a full month before the AHL season ends.
The Griffins have had trouble scoring goals recently and Finnie shows 31 goals and 70 points in 45 WHL games this season. Finnie has the potential to be a major success story for the Detroit scouting staff. He was drafted in the seventh-round, 201st overall, in the 2023 draft. He has developed beyond what a team would expect for a seventh round pick.
Continued; at 6’1″ and 195 pounds, Finnie isn’t overly big, but he’s stocky, and he’s incredibly fast.
