Hemming attended his third Dallas development camp, and the organization confirmed through Mike Heika’s NHL.com feature on July 1 that he makes the full-time AHL jump this fall after 63 points in 46 OHL games with Barrie and a 28-point playoff run in 21 games. The camp week reinforced the read from his season. He shines inside structure, doing his best work in the cycling drills, and his anticipation produced the smartest rep of the four-on-twos when he dropped low off a read and the loose puck arrived exactly where he expected. In the mini game he calmly pulled pucks out of pressure into safety and connected with Dylan Hryckowian on several sequences, including a feed that created a clean scoring chance. Now 20 and listed at 6-1 and 205 pounds, he identified speed as the biggest gap between the OHL and the AHL after his five-game Texas cameo. His fantasy value builds through a middle-six AHL role with power-play looks as a rookie. Watch his usage through the September showcase and the opening month in Cedar Park.

Hemming has done exactly what Dallas asked: dominate the OHL. After going scoreless in five AHL games with Texas to open the year, he returned to Barrie on October 28 and has been the best version of himself since. Through 44 OHL games he has posted 25 goals and 36 assists for 61 points (1.39 points per game), ranking among the top scorers on a Barrie team that has won 45 games. The production accelerated after the OHL trade deadline, when Barrie paired him with Cole Beaudoin and Ben Wilmott on the top line. In one late-January stretch, he scored seven goals in six games, and the trio combined for 35 points since being united. Head coach Dylan Smoskowitz noted that Hemming told him he wanted to dominate upon returning from Texas, and the coaching staff confirmed he has been doing it nightly regardless of opponent. The international stage reinforced the tools. At the 2026 World Junior Championship in St. Paul, Hemming scored three goals in seven games for Finland, who fell to Sweden in a 13-round shootout semifinal and took bronze. His WJC shooting was decisive and confident, the same release that made him a first-round pick. What separates the 2025-26 version from last year’s 48-point OHL rookie is the assist rate. His playmaking has climbed meaningfully, with more slot feeds and off-puck touches that show growing awareness of where support is, not just where the net is. The five-game AHL sample still matters as context. He was between levels then, and he will be again when he arrives in Cedar Park full-time next fall. The shot, the frame (6-1, 198 pounds), and the competitive drive are all present. The gap is small-area pace, strength on retrievals, and consistency under pro pressure. Those will come with a full AHL season. For fantasy, a 2026-27 Texas Stars role should produce enough to make him a worthwhile dynasty stash, with middle-six NHL scoring as the realistic ceiling once he arrives.

Hemming has gone through his first full North American pro runway and come out of it looking firmly between levels. Dallas featured him at the 2025 NHL Prospect Games in Frisco as their lone first-rounder, a primary forward to watch, then brought him into main camp as part of a larger competition group. He earned a brief AHL look in Texas, going scoreless in five games but getting his first taste of pro pacing and travel before the Stars reassigned him to Barrie on October 28. Back in the OHL, he has been much closer to the version Dallas drafted, with four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in his first 11 games, including a statement performance in an overtime win against top-ranked Brantford, where he drove the net and dictated touches in the offensive zone. The pattern is evident for fantasy purposes. He can overwhelm junior defenders with his shot and net front game, but still needs another year of strength, small area pace, and defensive polish before those tools turn into AHL production and, later, middle-six NHL scoring.

Hemming took the ice as an OHL rookie in 2024-2025 and put up a valiant first effort on North American ice. He scored 18 goals and added 30 assists for 48 points in 60 games. He sat sixth in team scoring for the Barrie Colts and 38th among U18 players league-wide. He has NHL-size already as a soon-to-be 19-year-old, and with a few more seasons of marinating at the OHL level, he could grow his fantasy value. He’s worth a stash in deep fantasy leagues as we watch his progress, but would only belong on a watchlist if your league is shallower. Think middle-six scoring winger.

Hemming was selected 29th overall by the Dallas Stars.

Emil Hemming is a right-handed power forward who’s been playing in both the Liiga and the U20 SM-Sarja with TPS. Hemming’s biggest strength is his powerful shot and his ability to find soft ice in the offensive zone. He has good shooting mechanics and can beat goaltenders cleanly, even at the Liiga level. Despite playing a limited defensively responsible 4th line role, he’s been able to produce points in Liiga. In addition to his great shot, Hemming possesses some other interesting tools. He is a good, powerful skater, has some physicality in his game, and is quite good at handling the puck. The biggest question marks concerning his game are his decision-making and the variability in his level of play. Fortunately for him, these are not uncommon issues for a player his age. If his development continues well, Hemming has clear middle-six/secondary scoring potential in the NHL. – (February rankings: 34th)

At 30th overall, we have our second Finnish forward off the board, Emil Hemming. The right-shot power forward ended up playing the majority of the season with the TPS Liiga team which only few saw coming before the season started. Playing mostly limited 4th line minutes, Hemming molded his game into a more mature and defensively responsible style. We expect Hemming to have a big role with team Finland in the upcoming U18 Worlds, where he should be able to showcase more of his offensive talents. While his shot is definitely the most impressive puck skill of his, he has shown flashes of playmaking and puck handling that could help him evolve his game into the next level if applied to his play more consistently. – Anni Karvinen (April Rankings: 30th)