Hemming looks to join growing list of Finland-born standouts with Stars

DALLAS -- It's a long way from Vaasa, Finland, to American Airlines Center, but Emil Hemming can be forgiven if the Dallas Stars arena reminds him a bit of home.

The 18-year-old forward prospect hopes to become the latest Finland-born player on the Stars roster after Dallas selected him with the No. 29 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Three prominent Dallas players also made their way to North America from Finland, first-line center Roope Hintz and the first defense pair of Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen.

“We really like him,” Stars general manager Jim Nill told the Stars website during the draft. "We play a certain way, and he plays the way we play. He can join our Finnish Mafia here, and we’ve got a good group of those guys. It’s just a good fit. He’s a good two-way player, he’s got a shoot-first mentality, he just plays the game the right way.”

Hemming split last season between the TPS team in Finland's junior league and TPS in Liiga, the top professional league in the country. He had 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 40 Liiga games and finished ninth in the league among rookie scorers.

Hemming also represented Finland at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship where he led the team with four goals and was third with six points in five games. He also played in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he had two assists in seven games.

The Stars noted Hemming’s one-timer and wrist shot as skills that could translate to the NHL.

“That’s one of the biggest strengths of my game," Hemming said during Dallas development camp earlier this month. "I’ve been practicing it a lot off the ice and on the ice. Shoot from the defender’s feet, from close angles. Maybe it’s shots that goalies don’t know is coming. Those are the kinds of shots I like to use.”

That aspect was picked up on immediately by Neil Graham, coach of Texas of the American Hockey League, who ran Stars development camp.

“His shot stands out even amongst his peers and even amongst some of the older players," Graham said. "His release, his nose for the net, you can tell it’s been a tool that he’s used well over the years.

"A great first impression. He’s come right in, he’s been very pleasant to be around, cordial with the teammates, listening to all the detail work. Frankly, you can see why he was drafted where he was. It’s going to be really fun to watch him over the next year to see how it all checks out.”

The Stars could have the opportunity to watch Hemming play on North American ice sooner than later. He was selected by Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League with the No. 15 pick in the Canadian Hockey League import draft July 3, and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Stars on July 15.

Though he has a year left on his contract with TPS, Hemming said the door is open for him to continue his development in North America.

“The game is a lot faster, and the ice is a lot smaller," he said, "so I would say I’d benefit a lot to adjust to the game that is here.

"It’s one step closer to the NHL to get to know the ice and the pace.”