In the springs of both 2024 and 2025, Finnie joined the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins after his WHL season ended. He suited up for 16 games, including three playoff contests. Then, last August, he moved into a ‘rookie house’ for a month of pre-season training and bonding with a trio of first-rounders: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and fellow WHLer Nate Danielson. Suddenly, Finnie was spending every day with Detroit’s elite prospects, who had every reason to believe that an NHL roster spot was within reach. “We’d get to go to the rink, skate and train together every day,” Finnie said. “Then, we’d golf pretty much every day after. It was always competitive. We had some good battles on the golf course.”
