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With the 201st overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Red Wings selected Finne out of Lethbridge, Alberta. Finnie is yet another one of Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman’s draft picks who have a high motor. Yzerman has focused on drafting players who have a 200-foot game. While playing for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL in 2024, Finnie stood out as one of the more defensively responsible players on the team. This play led the Red Wings to give Finnie an entry-level contract. Before the preseason opener, head coach of the Red Wings, Todd McLellan, implored Finne to continue to play “full on the gas.” McLellan said that he understood that young players may make mistakes sometimes, but the coaching staff would work with them to clean these up. Whether right or wrong, this was one perception of former head coach Derek Lalonde that was not always evident. The Red Wings’ players were almost afraid to make mistakes under Lalonde. This is not unforeseen by other Red Wings on the roster. Dylan Larkin recently told FanDuel Sports Detroit Tigers host Jason Benetti, “We’re going to have some guys that are gonna come up and impress and hopefully solidify themselves for a bright future in their careers and for our team,” Larkin said. Larkin is going into his 11th season with the Red Wings. One thing that Larkin has not accomplished is getting the Red Wings into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Fellow young Red Wing Carter Mazur echoed these sentiments by saying that Finnie is an “unbelievable player.” Mazur is also looking to earn a spot on the Red Wings roster. During the offseason, Mazur rehabbed an upper-body injury that he suffered during his NHL debut during the 2024-25 season. “I would say the rehab part was really easy. It wasn’t actually that hard. I had the right people behind me. I would say the hardest part was the mental part,” said Mazur.
