The Detroit Red Wings are set to begin their centennial campaign with a matchup on Thursday evening against the historic Original Six rival Montreal Canadiens, and while this campaign will be all about the franchise celebrating a full century in Motor City, there are several youngsters being introduced into the institution that is Red Wings hockey.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (15th overall, 2024), Axel Sandin-Pellikka (17th overall, 2023), and Emmitt Finnie (201st overall, 2023) have all made sufficient enough an impression on Red Wings coaching and management during Training Camp and the pre-season that they saw fit to reward them with roster spots for Opening Night.
Finnie will be getting a true baptism by fire into the NHL, beginning his young career playing on Detroit’s first line with team captain Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
Naturally, when he found out the news that he’d made the cut, it was an exciting feeling.
“I just came to the rink and found out I was going to be in the lineup, there was lots of excitement and nerves for tonight, but just you know, happy it all worked out,” Finnie explained Thursday morning ahead of his NHL debut.
It doesn’t seem like long ago that established Red WIngs players like Larkin, Raymond, and Moritz Seider were once rookies themselves, and Finnie has leaned on their support and picked their brains on what he himself can expect as he hits the ice for the first time in regular season play.
“I’ve talked to a couple of guys about their first games and how to kind of get into it and relax then nerves, and they tell just keep telling me to play my game and the nerves will settle in off the start,” Finnie said. “Just be super confident out there and play my game.”
Just like his rookie teammates Brandsegg-Nygård and Sandin-Pellikka, Finnie is going to have a large presence of relatives in the stands to watch his inaugural game.
“I’ve got my mom and dad, brother, sister, my girlfriend, aunt, uncle, and his wife,” he said of who will be coming to support him. “Lots of family and friends.”
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Finnie especially impressed with his play in Training Camp and the pre-season, during which he skated in seven of eight games and was used in all situations by head coach Todd McLellan. Not only does he possess tremendous speed, he’s also shown that he’s unafraid to go into the tough areas of the ice – not something that your average 20-year-old does with such enthusiasm.
“I think I bring a high motor, I feel like a 200 foot player, and I have lots of speed so I can be all over the ice and impact the game in lots of ways,” Finnie said of his playing style.
During McLellan’s press conference following Wednesday’s practice, he said he’d love to have some of the younger Red Wings players take a crash course in Red Wings history so that they could better appreciate that their vocation has brought them to such a historic team.
While Finnie was only weeks away from turning three years of age when the Red Wings last won the Stanley Cup in 2008, he’s already familiarized himself with some of the dominant teams of years past who wore the logo he now sports himself.
“I’m pretty familiar with it, just obviously watching highlights and stuff like it,” Finnie said of understanding the history of the team he now plays for during their most recent period of NHL supremacy. “They were a dominant team and had dominant players. It’s definitely the expectation for this team, and they’ve built a legacy around it. We just want to get back to that point.”
Meet The New Guys: Detroit’s Trio Of Rookies The
Detroit Red Wings will open their 100th season on Thursday by ushering in a new era, as top prospects Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka make their NHL debuts in key lineup roles.
Starting his own career in the 100th year of the winningest franchise in the history of any United States-based NHL team isn’t something that Finnie is taking for granted.
“It’s very special, obviously the Winged Wheel is a historic logo and any time you get to wear it, it’s very special,” he said. “I’m super honored to be in this position.”
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