It’s hump day at DBD, and we’re catching up with the Stars’ 2024 first-round pick. Let’s go!
It probably wasn’t a surprise to Dallas Stars fans when the team used their 29th overall pick to draft Finnish standout Emil Hemming. Director of European Scouting Kari Takko has a long, fairly glorious history of identifying top talent from the Nordics, even when other scouts miss the clues.
Slightly more off-script was Hemming’s July 15 signing. GM Jim Nill usually likes to wait until training camp or the following season to put his picks under contract, as Sean Shapiro points out in a recent article. But the situation changed when the Barrie Colts chose the 18-year-old right wing in the CHL Import Draft. Here’s what Sean wrote:
Playing in Barrie, as opposed to playing another year with TPS back in Finland, represented a chance for Hemming to get more ice time and a larger role. With TPS, in Finland’s top league, Hemming played limited minutes as a teenager and was yo-yoed back and forth between levels.
“He was looking for more stability, and we had that conversation with him at development camp, that it was probably the best decision for him to play with his own age,” Nill said. “We knew that and I think he knew that, that’s why we signed him when we did. It opened the door for him to go (to Barrie) and now we had a bit more control over his development.”
As for Hemming himself, he seems ready to trust the system:
Hemming has never been to Barrie, he still can’t pick it out on a map, he just knows it’s “somewhere in Ontario.” But he also knows that playing with the Colts will help his transition to a faster game.
“I wanted to play there for my development, on the smaller ice at a faster pace,” Hemming said. “That what I think I need right now. I want to get as close to the NHL as possible, as quickly as I can. And that’s how the NHL is played (more like the OHL), so that’s what I want to do.”
If you haven’t yet subscribed to Shap Shots, you may have this available as a free article. If not, we can confirm it’s worth signing up for Sean’s reports. [Shap Shots]
Stars Stuff
In 2023-24, Mason Marchment bounced back from a down season to become a scoring threat. Is there a place for him on the top power-play unit – if he can stay out of the box himself? Mike Heika considers the case.
Around The Leagues
- While we’re on the subject of first-round draft pick signings…the NHL site is tracking those, too. Take a look. [NHL]
- Tim Hiebert, formerly of CapFriendly, has taken his skills to a new outlet. Say hello to The Hockey News Lineups. [The Hockey News]
- Meet Çağla Çelik – the first player born in Türkiye to play NCAA hockey. [IIHF]
Finally
The Stars never lose track of their pals – especially the ones in green. Enjoy.