The Carolina Hurricanes have had a long tradition of Finnish talent, but have seen that pool take a hit recently.
What better way to fix that than by selecting a high-end Finnish prospect.
Emil Hemming has a lot of scouts salivating over his talent level and potential.
The 18 year old is an offensively-minded forward with a tremendous release who skates well.
His first season in Liiga, he had seven goals and 11 points, but he was averaging just 10:04 per game.
“They played him on the fourth line with checkers on the men’s team, which was very much out of his role and awkward,” one scout told The Hockey News. “But he’s highly talented. If he’s not in the flow, he might not do enough for you, and there have been games like that for him.”
When he was playing more amongst his peers, like when he was playing for Suomi in the U18s, he had four goals and six points in just five games playing top minutes.
“He’s a natural scorer and loves shooting the puck,” another scout told The Hockey News. “He has great instincts. There’s some power-forward ability that’s not out there yet but could come in time. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s stocky and strong. He’s shown in flashes he can lower the shoulder and drive to the net.”
While there is the downside to his deployment in Liiga, mostly that it neutered his offensive game, he's also developing forechecking, checking and defensive skills in that role which will later help him down the line should he make it to the top league.
At 6-foot-1, 201lbs, the Finnish winger already has NHL size and would more than likely develop even more muscle as he gets older.
The Canes don't have much else besides Andrei Svechnikov in terms of power forwards, so if Hemming could develop into one along with having that high-end shot, that would be a slam dunk type of player for Carolina.
What are the experts saying?
Tony Ferrari (The Hockey News): "He has intelligent and projectable play built upon solid tools across the board, a good work ethic and anticipatory play in all three zones."
"A hard-working, relentless winger, Hemming has a big shot that could be used on the power play."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRs0rowLN5g[/embed]
Recent Articles