 Finley was selected by the Washington Capitals in the 1st round (27th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.Before Finley had arrived to Helsinki in 2016 he already got a nickname, "The Red #3" after Lalli Partinen, a former defensman who played for HIFK (ice hockey) in 1969–1977.Finley played for the Edina Peewee A state championship team in 1999–2000.