Cory Emmerton Cory Emmerton ( born June 1 , 1988 in St . Thomas , Ontario ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently under contract by the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League . He was drafted by the Red Wings in the second round , 41st overall , in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft . He played 2 games in the 2010 – 11 season for Detroit and is currently on the roster of their farm team , the Grand Rapids Griffins . Playing career . Minor Hockey . Emmerton grew up playing minor hockey for his hometown St . Thomas Travellers of the OMHA and the Elgin - Middlesex Chiefs of the Pavilion AAA league in Ontario . Junior . The Kingston Frontenacs selected Emmerton with their 5th round , 89th overall pick in the 2004 OHL Priority Selection from the Elgin - Middlesex Chiefs . He made the team out of training camp , and in his rookie season , he scored 17 goals and added 21 assists in 58 games , finishing 6th in team scoring . In 2005 – 06 , Emmerton led the Frontenacs in scoring with 90 points in 66 games , helping the team make the playoff for the first time since he joined the club . In the playoffs , Emmerton would only be held to two points , both goals , in 6 games , as Kingston would be eliminated in the opening round . In the 2006 NHL Entry Draft , the Detroit Red Wings selected Cory in the 2nd round , 41st overall selection . Emmerton had a tough 2006 – 07 season , missing some time to injuries , as he would appear in only 40 regular season games . He finished fourth in team scoring with 66 points , as the team would once again make the playoffs . Emmerton had a strong playoff , leading Kingston with five goals and seven points in five games , however , his team would be eliminated in the first round . He would return to Kingston in 2007 – 08 , and be named the Frontenacs captain , however , the Fronts would get off to a bad start , and quickly fell out of playoff contention , and in early December , Emmerton would be traded to the Brampton Battalion for Justin Levac , Thomas Middup , 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2008 , 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2009 , and a 6th round pick in 2010 . At the time of the trade , Emmerton was leading the Frontenacs with 31 points in 24 games . In his first game as a Brampton Battalion , Emmerton would score a goal and add two assists to help the Battalion defeat the top team in the league , the Kitchener Rangers . Shortly after his trade to Brampton , Emmerton would compete for a spot on the Canadian National Junior Team , however , he was not able to fulfill his dream , as he was sent home by the team due to being diagonosed with mono . Emmerton came back from his illness , and recorded 30 points in 30 games with Brampton , followed by two assists in five playoff games with the team . Professional . Emmerton played a couple of games with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the 2007 playoffs after the Frontenacs were eliminated from the OHL playoffs , going pointless in two games . He was signed to a three - year entry level contract wit the Detroit Red Wings on June 4 , 2007 . After the Battalion were eliminated in the first round of the 2008 OHL playoffs , the Red Wings would once again bring Emmerton up to the Griffins , as he recorded an assist in seven regular season games with the club . He played his first NHL game on Saturday , January 22 , 2011 against Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks and scored his first NHL goal .