Oscar Hemming
2026 NHL Draft Eligible
Position: LW, Shoots: L
H/W: 6-foot-4, 198 pounds
Date of Birth: 2008-08-13
Oscar Hemming, the brother of the Dallas Stars first-round draft selection Emil Hemming, was an intriguing prospect out of Finland. But this season, he couldn’t find a team to play for until the second-half of the season, just about. After he played in the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where he performed very well, he signed with the Kitchener Rangers. Shortly thereafter, his Finnish club, Kiekko-Espoo, blocked the OHL transfer. Hemming pivoted and signed with Sherwood Park in the BCHL. But this time, the IIHF threatened to ban Hemming for three years of international play. So, once again, Hemming pivoted. He sped up his academics in order to enroll with Boston College, finally finding a home for the hockey season.
Hemming is a heavy shooter who has sneaky good skill on the puck. But it’s his big 6-foot, 4-inch frame paired with his deceivingly good puck skill that makes him such an intriguing talent. He’s got a good motor on him, along with a physical streak. Getting paired with Dean Letourneau, who BC has helped massively in his development, is a formidable duo in college hockey. While the point-total hasn't been the most eye-opening, he has been impressive already, despite being 17 years old and missing half of his season. Which is important to remember, as that long break from hockey made an impact on parts of his game, and him being a part of that BC organization will surely be a great spot for him to work out those kinks in his game.
With the skill set he has shone thus far, he projects as a potential second line power forward, with enough talent to work his way into a first line role in the right environment. With his limited production and time missed at the beginning of this season, he will almost certainly run it back in Boston College next season. But, after next year, there’s a shot there he could earn an NHL spot, depending on which team calls his name on draft day.
Skating
Hemming isn’t the best skater. That’s not entirely surprising, considering his frame. To his credit, his skating is very smooth and he can catch defenders by surprise at times. But he isn’t a burner and it takes him an extra step to reach his top speed. His edges need more work, as he can lose speed when turning or changing directions with the play. It also impacts his first few strides, as it takes him some time to build up speed. As he is given more time to adjust to the NCAA level, especially in an organization that has helped Letourneau develop his skating a lot, these issues should round itself out.
It’s also fair to wonder just how much of an impact that long layoff between teams had on his game. At the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, he displayed better mobility. In particular, he used his edges far more efficiently to build up speed through crossovers, reaching his top speed faster. The NCAA is a faster paced game on a smaller sized rink, which has an impact too. But the time off between teams did still show up in his ability to move.
In the clip above, Hemming (#9 in white) had jumped up into the play on a dump in, going right into the low slot area. When the pass intended for him skipped past his stick, he struggled to turn back the other way and back check effectively. He lost ground due to the poor turn and acceleration, getting beaten up ice. When a BC defender denied the entry attempt and the puck was sent to the boards, Hemming was the closest to it by a wide margin. However, a player who wasn’t even in the frame when the play was initially broken up managed to get to the puck at the same time as Hemming.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) shows off what he can do as a skater when given space to build up speed. After a turnover is forced by a teammate in the defensive end, he skates into the puck, scoops it up, and skates hard up ice. He doesn’t burn the defenders, but he closes in on them very quickly, then drives the net with speed. He actually got to his spot on the backdoor ahead of the defender who tracked him, but his teammate elected to shoot on the play.
In this clip, Hemming (#27 in white) displays that aforementioned better movement skills, with his usage of crossovers to build up speed all the way through the neutral zone. His strides were also shorter, with quicker feet, because of his use of crossovers. He drives through the neutral zone, pulling away from back-pressure, albeit light, before hitting the offensive blue line. With the speed he had through the neutral zone, the defenders adjusted their gaps. Hemming, upon hitting the blueline, slowed down, opening up a passing lane, and putting a pass between two sticks. The pass would hit the target, but the pressure around his teammate would disrupt the play. But that was all executed through strong acceleration through crossovers, hitting his top speed, then slowing down to create space for himself to try and make a smart play.
GRADE: 50
Shot
Hemming has a wicked shot that, one could argue, is borderline NHL-ready as it is. It features a ton of power, a quick release, and generally strong accuracy. He can pick corners at times. He can threaten from medium-dangers thanks to his ability to rip shots with power. But it’s his ability to finish in-tight, regardless of the pressure around him. He can roof shots in close, get tips and rebounds, and use his frame to box out opponents in order to get those opportunities with consistency.
Not only does he use his frame effectively in dangerous areas to create those chances in close, but he also displays very strong spatial and positional awareness away from the puck, placing himself in pockets of space to be a passing option. Despite only scoring once with BC, there is much more here than what has been shown.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) scores his first NCAA goal. He drives the net on the rush, holds off a defender to get in position in the mid-slot. He then shows off his solid hand-eye coordination to get a piece of the shot from the point, then follows the rebound quickly to bury it.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) trails the initial rush. As the puck bounces out into the slot, Hemming skates into it and absolutely fires the puck towards the net. It hit the crossbar, denying his chance at a ridiculous goal. The power and release is very evident in this clip, indicative of the potential in his shot, despite the lack of production this season.
Hemming (#27 in blue), shows off his off-puck positioning on the Finnish power play opportunity before scoring the go-ahead goal. He positions himself well by sliding up and down the half-wall, keeping himself inside an open passing lane for his teammates. As the puck moves up to the point, he slides up top as an easy outlet. He receives a pass at the top of the circle, corrals it and pulls wide to his forehand, and fires a heavy shot over the blocker of the Czech netminder.
GRADE: 55
Skills
Hemming, despite playing a smart, calculated power game, can be a very deft puck-handler. On the puck, he combines his smarts and his frame to protect the puck. But he can also make slick, finesse moves when needed. He can also flash strong playmaking skills on the puck, whether in space or under pressure. To be able to have a bit of roughness in his game, while also showcasing an ability to play with some finesse, is what GMs are searching for year-in and year-out. Hemming, despite not generating a ton of points thus far at the collegiate level, has those traits.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) is up in the neutral zone, receiving a pass after his teammate gained the offensive zone. As he catches the pass, the opposing defender pinches up to deny the entry. However, Hemming makes a quick play to evade the pokecheck, pulling the puck quickly to his backhand and turning away from the defender. He then drives to the slot and, as he loads up for a shot, avoids another defensive stick check with a toe drag release.
In this clip, Hemming (#27 in blue) receives a breakout pass to gain the neutral zone. He builds up speed and cuts wide to the right wall. As he hits the blue line, he cuts back inside towards the middle, skating at the defender. As the defender looks to close the gap and take away the drive towards the middle, Hemming pulls the puck back on his forehand, then pushes it through his own legs, stepping back to the perimeter. That quick move allowed him to get around the defender's outside shoulder. He would then use his frame to box out the defender from recovering and preventing a scoring chance. He then takes another step towards the goal before firing the puck on net. The shot was stopped, but it created a bit of chaos that nearly wound up being a goal.
Hemming (#27 in blue, in the two above clips), scored both goals in tight to the net, showcasing his skill in the dangerous areas of the ice. In the first clip, he initially helps work the puck out of chaos following the faceoff, then drives to the net. Once at the net front, he uses his frame to box out the opposing defender. The puck goes across the point, and Hemming quickly turns and moves into a better spot. As he shifts over, he gets his stick on the point shot, deflecting it over the goaltender, despite being draped in pressure, showcasing his hand-eye skill. In the second clip, Hemming wins a short-area race to the loose puck, and helps work it up the wall, eventually getting to the point. As the puck moves up, Hemming again goes right to the net. He nearly gets another deflection on the point shot, but it goes by the traffic and the goaltender makes the save. Then, despite the chaos in front, Hemming finds the rebound, settles it, and rips it past the glove and just inside the post. This displays his poise and ability to find pucks amidst chaos to generate chances such as that one.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) positions himself well to be an easy outlet option. As the puck moves up to the point, he shifts his positioning to remain an easy outlet. When he gets the pass, he is met almost immediately by pressure. But he felt the pressure coming, and he turned away from the opposing defender, spinning away from that pressure and sending a backhand pass accurately to a teammate at the top of the circle. While it didn’t lead to a scoring chance, those moments of quick decision-making are evident in his game, with this being a solid example of him feeling pressure and reacting quickly to evade pressure and get the puck in a better spot.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in red) works to the boards as the puck is cycled around behind the opposition's net. He gets there first, and as he’s met by a defender, he deflects the puck into a dangerous area. It isn’t the cleanest play, but it got into a spot where a teammate wound up being the first one to it in a dangerous area. His teammate then tapped it back to Hemming coming out of the corner, just below the goal line. He collects the pass and almost immediately plays it into the middle for another teammate, who has an excellent look at the net-front. While his teammate didn’t capitalize, he regained possession and sent it up to the point. As the puck was worked to the point, Hemming parks himself at the doorstep, sneaking into a dangerous area with no defender on him. He narrowly missed the deflection off the point shot. That’s two scoring chances, which both could have gone into the back of the net had the bounces been only marginally better.
GRADE: 57.5
Smarts
Hemming is an incredibly intelligent player. As mentioned, in passing, Hemming flashes strong playmaking at times. The reason behind his playmaking goes beyond just raw puck skills. He is able to read the ice well, with the ability to make plays both in space and under pressure. Even in situations where pressure is closing in and he has to make a split second choice, he generally chooses well. He keeps the puck moving in a positive direction, not forcing too many passes if there’s not much reason to do so.
Additionally, away from the puck, he takes excellent routes to the net. He times up his net drives very well with the play. When looking to get open away from the puck, he can find soft pockets of space to keep himself in passing lanes. In other words, he moves well away from the puck, keeping himself available as a passing option consistently for teammates.
As for his defensive capabilities and smarts, he helps support down low, but isn’t a big stand out. He can play a bit conservatively, trying to read and react, as opposed to a tight, constant pressure. Adding a bit more there, without costing his mostly strong positional awareness, would help his defensive game.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) digs the puck out of a scrum off the offensive zone draw and plays it to the point. He sets up along the boards as a simple outlet option if the defender needed one, then pushed down low when his teammate zipped a pass point-to-point. When the point man sent the puck wide, Hemming tracked the puck off the back wall, skated into it and one-toucheed it into the slot. His teammate got an excellent look, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. A very quick and dangerous pass, thanks to his smarts and off-puck play to be in the right spot and know what to do with the puck immediately.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) works the puck up to the point along the right wall. As his teammate at the point plays the puck to the left point, Hemming times up an excellent route to the slot, where he slowly circled, then glided into the mid-slot area. The puck finds him, thanks to him being in the right spot at the right time. He makes a very solid play with his feet to gather possession, kicking it up to his blade, and getting a good look from the slot.
In this clip, Hemming (#27 in blue) is positioned at net front while his teammates work from the right corner and around behind the opposition's net. As the puck comes around the net, Hemming moves into a soft spot in coverage, making himself open in a dangerous spot. The pass never comes, and his teammate skates out from the corner. Hemming adjusts, and uses his bigger frame to box out the opposing defender, leveraging himself to still be an option. As his teammate circles back down low, Hemming pops off the battle in front, presenting himself as a passing option once again in a dangerous spot. This time, the pass arrives, and he’s able to generate a strong scoring chance, which got stopped by the goaltender. But it was his movement and ability to leverage his size that gave him that shot on net.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in red) is seen back checking. As the opposition dumps the puck into the zone, the puck gets rimmed around the boards. Hemming skates across the zone to apply pressure to the point man, who spins the puck down the boards. He then remains on that side, supporting his team low and helping to keep the puck to the outside by positioning himself in the faceoff dot. This clip also shows his conservative nature, as he sat at the dot to clog the middle, while his teammate was battling along the boards one-on-one. He didn’t make a move to support that battle tighter or get involved as an additional body in the battle. As his teammate wins, he is tight to the puck carrier as an easy tap pass. His teammate opts for a chip out instead, leading to a line change. But he didn’t cheat up ice at all, displaying patience and maintaining support for his teammates in his own end.
GRADE: 57.5
Physicality/Compete
Hemming plays with a strong motor and, with his size, can be physically imposing. While his physicality isn’t the most consistent from game to game, it’s still a part of his game. He tries to read and react, taking good angels and pressuring opponents into mistakes as opposed to throwing his weight around. That limits how many times he takes himself out of plays for the sake of making hits, which is a general positive. However, it’s still a part of his game that would be better for him to utilize a bit more.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) tracks the opposition's breakout from the neutral zone. As the puck is played up the wall, Hemming throws his weight into the puck carrier, disrupting the breakout. It wasn't the biggest hit, but it was effective.
In this clip, Hemming (#9 in red) reads the play well as the opposition was denied an entry. He takes a very smart angle to close down an opponent along the wall, then uses his bigger frame to squeeze him out of the play and pick-pocket his opponent, before getting a rush up ice. He fired a low shot, looking for a tip by his teammate driving the back-door, but just missed.
In these clips, Hemming (#9 in red) laid three total hits in his game against UConn (March 20th). All three hits were of Hemming closing in on opponents in the neutral zone and finishing his hits along the wall. Each had varying degrees of impact, which is consistent in his game. He doesn’t throw these huge hits, being a menace on the ice, in the way that Kashawn Aitcheson would. But he closes in and forces his opponents to move the puck quickly before the impact. Some hits can lead to his opponent sprawling, but that isn’t his game. Adding a bit more of a mean streak, and adding this element of his game more consistently, would go far for him and his career.
GRADE: 60
OFP: 55.5
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.