Whatever fire burns inside of Emmitt Finnie, the Detroit Red Wings need to find a way to stoke it in all of their players.

Saturday, the Red Wings opened the club’s two prospect games in Texas against the rookies of the Dallas Stars. The best player on the ice was Finnie.

Finnie first!

1-0, #REDWINGS! pic.twitter.com/M3AOfe4BOM

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 14, 2025

He opened the scoring in Detroit’s 6-2 win. Just 23 seconds after the opening faceoff, Finnie was driving the Dallas net and jamming the puck in. Later, Finnie was causing mayhem at the net front as Axel Sandin Pellikka scored on a point shot during a Red Wings power play.

Finnie was a going concern all night. The 2023 seventh-round draft pick was taking the puck to the net with a ferocious determination. Playing with a dogged relentlessness, he was in the midst of the action on his every shift.

“He wants to get better, and every time I’ve seen him, he’s gotten better,” said Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson. He is coaching the Detroit rookies. “And he took another step tonight.

And add one for Axel 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ZdAu2hMVwc

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 14, 2025

“He just set the tone early on with his speed, the pace that he plays. He’s a physical player. He’s not scared to go in the corner, he’s not scared to be around the net. He seeks net drives.

“That takes confidence, that takes mental toughness to be able to do that. And he does it willingly all the time.”

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy

Rudy Guimond began his CHL career with 16 successive regular-season wins. He was also perfect in his Red Wings debut. Playing the first two periods on Saturday, Guimond stopped every shot he faced.

“Hey, listen, he played great,” Watson said. “He didn’t have a ton of action, but the saves we needed, he made. And he made a couple extra big saves, too.”

Red Wings Top Pick Sits Out

Forward Carter Bear, Detroit’s 2025 first-round draft pick, won’t be playing in either of these rookie games. Recuperating from a late-season Achilles injury, the Red Wings will be scratching Bear from both games.

“It basically came up with the trainers, and a precautionary decision (to sit him out) was made,” Watson explained. “We want him ready for main camp.”

Likewise, an undisclosed injury suffered by forward Jakub Rychlovsky will keep him out of the rookie games.

“Just a small, small injury that kept him out this weekend,” Watson said. “But again, looking forward to him being ready for main camp.”