World Juniors: Emil Hemming Is Determined To Avoid Another Heartbreak For Finland

This feature on Team Finland's Emil Hemming appeared in The Hockey News' World Junior Championship special issue, available at THN.com/free and on The Hockey News Archive.

With two minutes left in the bronze-medal game, the Finns had a one-goal lead and looked to be on their way to securing third place at the 2024 World Junior Championship.

Four seconds later, Czechia scored to tie the game. Fifteen seconds after that, the Czechs took the lead. The Finns were crushed. The team was visibly emotional as Czechia added two empty-netters to secure the win.

Emil Hemming was on that team a year ago, but he wasn’t in the lineup for the bronze-medal game. He had to sit and watch – and he’s determined not to be in that situation again and to help redeem the Finns this time around.

“I don’t want to see Finland without a medal again,” said Hemming, who was drafted 29th overall by the Dallas Stars in 2024. “I want to do what I can to make sure we have one this year.”

Watching the team falter in the dying moments will be a huge motivating factor for Hemming and the rest of the returning Finns this year as they look to beat Slovakia in the quarterfinals. The team will succeed by being strong defensively and playing a mature, team-oriented game.

“Finland has always been a team that plays as a five-man group,” Hemming said. “We don’t always have the stars other teams have, but we play together as a unit better than anyone. That’s how we can get back to winning this year.”

Becoming familiar with the spacing and increased game speed on the smaller North American-sized rinks in Ottawa played a role in his decision to come over to play with OHL Barrie this season.

“Getting used to this ice is a small thing for some, but any advantage is an advantage I want to have,” Hemming said.

Related: World Juniors 2025: One Prospect To Watch From Every Western Conference NHL Team

Hemming’s work ethic, physicality and forechecking ability all converted over to the smaller ice immediately. His offensive skill is what took a minute to translate, but he is now hitting his stride.

“It’s not easy adjusting to a new league, but I feel better every day,” he said.

We rarely see a Patrik Laine, Sebastian Aho or Teuvo Teravainen come through and dominate offensively for the Finns, but Hemming thinks he can be that kind of player. “I want to make sure that I’m a factor for the Finnish team this year,” he said. “I need to be one of our difference-makers.”

This is an excerpt from the list of six players on the world juniors snub-o-meter, as featured in The Hockey News' WJC magazine issue.

In this edition, we feature wall-to-wall coverage of the 2025 World Junior Championship, complete with looks at all 10 teams and some of the most prominent players involved.

Also in this issue, we shine the spotlight on San Jose's Tyler Toffoli, Philadelphia's Travis Konecny and a team from Haida Gwaii that really goes the extra mile.

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