EMMITT FINNIE HAVING A BREAKOUT SEASON
By Marty Hastings
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Emmitt Finnie is flying.
The 18-year-old Detroit Red Wings’ prospect is riding an 11-game point streak, pacing his Kamloops Blazers offensively and earning WHL player of the week honours for the period ending on Sunday, Feb. 11.
“He’s all over the puck right now,” Blazers’ associate coach Don Hay said of Finnie, who had seven goals and nine points in three games last week. “He’s really skating, using his speed to his advantage, getting on top of people and stealing a lot of pucks. If he doesn’t have it, he’ll find a way to go and get it.”
Finnie tallied four goals in a 7-3 victory over the Rockets on Saturday in Kelowna to keep his point streak alive, a run that began with an assist in a 7-1 loss to the Winterhawks on Jan. 15 in Portland.
The trio that combined on the lone Kamloops marker — Ashton Ferster had the goal and Jordan Keller notched the other assist — has found chemistry since joining forces that night in the Rose City.
“I try and bring some physicality and some forechecking ability, get in there on the puck and create turnovers and let those guys come in and grab the loose pucks and use their speed and skill to create plays,” said Ferster, the 20-year-old Prince Albert product who is enjoying his best season in the WHL. “We’re really feeding off each other right now.”
Finnie was moved to left wing from center, making way for Keller, 18, to play up the middle with Ferster on the right flank.
“He’s a really unselfish player,” Hay said when asked about Finnie’s reaction to the switch. “It freed up room for him to go on the wall and, with his skating ability, he’s always in a good position to get the puck. When you’re a centreman, sometimes you have defensive responsibilities, so you’re tied down.”
Finnie’s rapport with Keller, 18, has roots at Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, where they were teammates during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 campaigns.
“We’ve got lots of chemistry,” Finnie said, noting he also played spring hockey with Keller prior to their tenure at the academy. “Yeah, just going back to those days and just a little bit of stick and puck after practise back at Yale to build that chemistry. And with Festy, too, it’s been great. He’s been working to get Jordan and I the puck and hanging around the net.”
Ferster has 27 points in 51 games this season, with 10 of those points coming in the last 11 games.
Keller, who was acquired by the Blazers in a trade with Saskatoon in November, has 34 points in 52 games this season, including 12 points since the Jan. 15 contest in Portland.
“Jordan Keller has really helped our team since coming over in the trade and Ashton Ferster is really gaining confidence,” Hay said. “If you look at where he’s [Ferster] come from when we picked him up last year [in a trade with Medicine Hat] to where he is right now, he’s a real key player for us.”
Finnie, a 6-foot-1, 183-pound right shot from Abbotsford, experienced his first major WHL surge during the stretch drive last season — a 15-game point streak that ended in the 2023 playoffs.
Much was expected of him this season and he is delivering after 45 games, leading the club in points (46), goals (16) and assists (30).
“He’s playing great,” Ferster said of Finnie, who overtook Keller for the team lead in goals after his career night on Saturday. “He’s playing with lots of confidence. He’s shooting the puck lots, which is big. He’s got a great shot. He’s got to use it.”
Kamloops (16-30-3-2) has won seven of its last 10 games and will aim to stay hot this weekend against the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars, winners of three in a row.
The Cougars (35-15-0-2) are scheduled to host the Blazers on Friday, with the rematch slated for Saturday, a 6 p.m. start at Sandman Centre.
“We obviously have a young group here and we’re excited for the rest of this season, but we’re building up for next year, as well,” Keller said. “It’s an exciting time.”
