Oscar Hemming: new team!

Promising Finnish forward Oscar Hemming, 17, is continuing his career in the NCAA in the United States.

American journalist Anthony Smith reports on X that Hemming has made a commitment to the Boston College team. He is set to join the team in the second half of the semester, which starts on December 28.

This season, Hemming has not played any official matches due to disputes with his youth club Kiekko-Espoo. The underage player terminated his contract with the Espoo club with the support of his parents and moved to the OHL junior league in Canada with the Kitchener Rangers at the start of the season. Kiekko-Espoo deemed the termination of the contract to be against the rules and prevented Hemming from playing elsewhere.

In October, Hemming moved to the BCHL junior league in Canada with the Sherwood Park Crusaders. Since the BCHL is not governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the forward prospect faced the possibility of a multi-year ban if he had played there without permission.

During the fall, Kiekko-Espoo and Hemming have been in a legal dispute over whether the termination of the contract was legal. Although the contract was terminated, the player rights still belong to Kiekko-Espoo.

Last season, Hemming represented Kiekko-Espoo’s U18 and U20 teams. In the U18 SM series, he scored 63 points (35+28) in 31 games, and in the U20 SM series, he recorded 10 points (2+8) in 18 games.

Hemming is considered one of Finland’s most promising young forwards, and according to some estimates, he has a chance to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft. His older brother Emil Hemming was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the first round (29th) of the summer 2024 NHL draft.