Seven Games in, Oscar Hemming is Already Changing Boston College Men's Hockey
When Oscar Hemming joined the Boston College men’s hockey program over Christmas break after sitting out the entire fall because of a dispute with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), there was uncertainty about how the 2008-born Finn would perform at the collegiate level.
Making that jump — from junior hockey or semi-professional hockey in other parts of the world to NCAA Division I hockey — is not one that every player adjusts to smoothly, especially if that individual has not played in a real game in five or so months.
Take BC’s Dean Letourneau as an example.
In 2024-25, his rookie season in Chestnut Hill, Mass., the St. Andrew’s College product could not seem to translate the skill he displayed in practice on a daily basis into live competition, according to head coach Greg Brown.
High expectations due to where he was drafted — in the first round of the 2024 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft by the Boston Bruins — did not help his situation, either.
This season, however, Letourneau is up to 27 points (15 goals, 12 assists) in 24 games played, a drastic increase in production that was simply dormant in his first campaign with the Eagles.
It is not uncommon to see a trajectory like Letourneau’s in college hockey, but Hemming, a 6-foot-4 lefty forward, has already made himself a firm presence on the ice just seven games into his career in the maroon and gold.
In Monday’s 5-1 Beanpot semifinals win over Harvard, he picked up two assists and was just as dangerous as any forward on the ice, further cementing his projection as a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
“It’s just the way he thinks the game,” James Hagens, BC’s points leader, said of Hemming. “He plays that heavy style, so he creates ice for you. You know when he has the puck, something good is always going to happen. He's a trusted player out there, and just to be able to be around him off the ice as well, he's an awesome guy. So he's made a huge impact for us.”
Through eight games, Hemming has already manufactured six assists, and he is currently riding a three-game streak with at least a point.
In these past few games, consisting of wins over New Hampshire, Boston University, and Harvard, the Vaasa, Finland, native has been paired with Hagens and senior captain Andre Gasseau on the Eagles’ second line.
It is safe to say that Brown has received exquisite feedback from the trio’s output in just a relatively short sample size.
Both of Hagens’ goals on Monday against the Crimson were created via offensive-zone rushes by Hemming, who exhibited just how lethal he can be for opposing teams with the puck in transition.
On the first goal, which increased the BC’s lead to 2-0 at the 6:49 mark of the initial frame, Hemming ran a give-and-go with Gasseau in the neutral zone and flipped the puck over the stick of a Harvard defenseman to generate an open shot from the dot of the right circle.
Hemming shot the puck off the pad of goalie Ben Charette, which deflected right to Hagens’ stick outside of the crease for an optimal put-back attempt.
Hagens finishes it off to put the Eags up 2-0!
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) February 2, 2026
📺 NESN pic.twitter.com/9ky6CLRVO3
“I think he's found a nice chemistry with Gasseau and Hemming, which certainly has helped in the last few games,” Brown said of Hagens’ recent play. “Probably just him being, you know, continuing to be assertive all the time has really helped him. … He was good, but now he's even taking it up a notch.”
In similar fashion to the first, the second goal germinated from a neutral-zone breakout leave from Gasseau to Hagens, which the sophomore skated through the blue line before dishing the puck to Hemming on the wing.
Hemming able to take the puck around his defender while Hagens crashed to the net. A lane opened up, and Hemming sent the puck across the slot to Hagens for a tap-in goal to put BC ahead 3-0 with 4:39 left in the period.
Gasseau with his 100th career point 🤝 Hagens with his second goal
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) February 2, 2026
📺 NESN pic.twitter.com/AuUkNxQDuq
“I mean, it was a great play by Andre Gasseau, so he started it there,” Hagens said. “And to be able to be out there with Oscar, you know, see the things he's done, to see how he's playing, he made a great move. [He] just put it on my tape there, so I was just lucky to be there.”
Hemming has not even scored yet, but Monday’s triumph marked the 11th straight game in which the Eagles have scored at least three goals. BC has hit that mark in 15 of its last 16 games as well, averaging 4.0 goals per game over that stretch.
It likely won’t be long until they start trickling in for the 17-year-old freshman, too.
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Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.
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