The Dallas Stars have made their first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, signing winger Emil Hemming to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal is set to begin during the 2024-25 NHL season, although the Stars organization has not announced where Hemming will play next season.
Hemming is coming off his first professional season with TPS in the Finnish Liiga, where he appeared in 40 games and scored seven goals and 11 points. The teenage forward also played 13 games for TPS U20 in the U20 SM-Sarja, scoring 11 goals and 18 points. Among all of the offensive prospects available in the 2024 NHL Draft, Hemming has possibly the greatest shot of any forward.
The Vaasa, Finland native was a force on the international scene for Team Finland last year, scoring seven goals and 11 points in nine games for Team Finland’s U18 club and two goals and eight points in eight games for Team Finland’s U20 squad. Hemming is expected to return to TPS for the 2024-25 season, but he may also play with the organization’s AHL club in Texas around the end of next season.
The Stars still have a strong front group in place for the next few years, but it is aging. Forwards Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene, and Evgenii Dadonov are all in their 30s, and Dallas may have good timing with Hemming’s eventual debut.
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