DALLAS — Given their propensity for players born in Finland, it was not a great surprise as to whom the Dallas Stars would select when they went on the clock with the No. 29 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
And ever since they used that first-round selection to take Emil Hemming, a 19-year-old forward from Vaasa, Finland, it was hoped Hemming would one day join the group in Dallas affectionally known as the “Finnish Mafia.”
As time goes on, that hope continues to trend toward reality, especially after he had 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 40 games as an 18-year-old with TPS of Liiga, the top professional league in Finland in 2023-24, before he had 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) in 60 games with Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League last season and added 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 16 OHL playoff games. He also helped Finland to a silver medal with four points (one goal, three assists in seven games) in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Three Finland-born players drafted by the Stars between 2011 and 2017 now make up part of the core of Dallas’ current roster: center Roope Hintz and defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell.
Forward Mikko Rantanen joined the Stars’ Finnish contingent after being acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7 and is doing his part to help Hemming join that contingent, training with him this summer.
“I was pumped that we got more Finns that can help me out,” Hemming said during Dallas’ development camp this month. “I think he’s going to help me out. … I’m super pumped about it.
“He’s an unreal person, on and off the ice. I just really love the mentality when he’s training. He’s training every day hard and trying to improve himself. That’s one thing I’m going to take from him. I want to learn and be a better player every day. I want to improve every day. That’s my mentality.”
At first, Hemming struggled adapting to the North American game, but he came into his own during the WJC and elevated his play during the OHL postseason.
“It was a pretty rough start for me, new league, new play style,” he said. “I think after the World Juniors I pretty much flipped and went better. In the playoffs, I was in the best shape and playing my best game.”
Prior to the WJC, Hemming scored five goals in 30 OHL games. After the tournament, he scored 13 goals in 30 games.
“There was going to be a transition, there’s no question,” Stars director of player personnel Rich Peverley said. “He went from playing pro [to] junior. There was the comfort level, being away from home, North America — there was a lot of things there that you totally understand.”
Hemming is now setting his sights on the NHL, focusing on shooting pucks quicker, putting shots on net and getting more explosive in his skating stride.
But there is no rush to get there, at least from the Dallas side.
“You watch him, he’s uber-talented,” Peverley said. “He’s got a great shot, he’s skilled, he’s got good size. It’s the habits away from the rink that he’s going to need to continue to work on, but he’s in a good spot.
“For him, I think he has a chance to become an NHL hockey player, but it’s going to be up to him doing all the little things and being patient with the process.”