Dallas Stars Assign Two Prospects To AHL
The Dallas Stars have assigned forward Emil Hemming and defenseman Tristan Bertucci from the OHL's Barrie Colts to the Texas Stars, it was reported earlier this week.
Hemming, a 2024 first round pick of the Stars, just wrapped up his first season of North American hockey with the Colts, scoring 18 goals and adding 30 assists for 48 points in 60 regular season games. With the Colts having made it to the OHL's Eastern Conference Finals, Hemming was also a major contributor in the playoffs, putting up eight goals and 15 points in 16 games.
Before making the jump to the Colts, Hemming spent last season splitting time between the top Finnish junior league (U20 SM-sarja) and Finland's top pro league (Liiga), putting up a combined 29 points in 53 regular season games.
A 2023 second round pick of the Stars, Bertucci just finished up his fourth season in the OHL and first with the Colts, collecting seven goals and 30 assists for 37 points in 52 regular season games. In 16 playoff games with the Colts, Bertucci was a major difference maker, putting up four goals and 18 points.
Across 238 career OHL regular season games with the Colts and the Flint Firebirds, Bertucci has compiled 29 goals and 115 assists for 144 points.
With both players having joined the Stars, Texas adds two major players to their playoff lineup. They can both create plays with the puck on their stick and will be solid pros when they both make the jump full time.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indianapolis Star
31 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
What new Colts principal owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon learned on the headset
INDIANAPOLIS — For a long time now, Carlie Irsay-Gordon's presence with the Colts has been easy to see. Every game, Irsay-Gordon could be seen walking up and down the sideline, wearing a headset, listening to the rapid-fire staccato of the coaching staff calling plays, adjusting the game plan, making key decisions. Irsay-Gordon, who is taking over as the team's principal owner and leading the football side in the wake of Jim Irsay's death while sharing ownership with her sisters, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, first had the idea when Indianapolis hired Chuck Pagano as head coach in 2012. By that point, she'd spent more than a decade working in almost every piece of the organization. But Irsay-Gordon realized she needed to know more about the game to make the hiring decisions that often define an owner's tenure. 'That sort of accelerated my, 'I need to learn more about this. I need to be able to say, 'Is this person full of BS? Do they know what they're talking about?'' Irsay-Gordon said. Irsay-Gordon needed to learn more about the game. Colts news: 1-on-1 talks, quizzes, headsets: How Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Kalen Jackson have prepared to run Colts The headset was one of her classrooms, along with the practice field, positional meetings and conversations with players. Irsay-Gordon has spent a decade learning everything she can about the game from the Colts themselves. 'She's always in meetings, whether it's team meetings, d-unit meetings, in the d-line room, on the field almost every day at practice and obviously on the sidelines,' Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. 'She's always got her big notebook, always taking notes, always asking questions about the game. … And obviously, now it's her time to step up and take the lead, and we all have great confidence in her.' Irsay-Gordon's approach is unique. Not a lot of owners wear a headset on the sideline during games, and Colts players have been asked by opponents on the field about what Irsay-Gordon is doing. To the Colts, her presence felt natural. 'If I owned a football team, I would definitely want to know what's going on on those sidelines,' Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said a couple of weeks ago. As her knowledge grew, Irsay-Gordon's confidence in the game grew with it. 'She'll even come and give you a pop quiz sometimes, so you've got to make sure you're not asleep in those meetings,' receiver coach Reggie Wayne said. 'She's been a student of the game for many years.' The lessons Irsay-Gordon has learned have been invaluable to the Colts already. 'One of the things that being on the headset has really helped me learn is, to the question earlier, it's such a complex organism, a football team, and how it operates on game day,' Irsay-Gordon said. 'I think that's been very valuable, because it also helps us be able to know: Where do we need to make tweaks? What resources do we need? What do we need to fix? So much of it comes down to how we operate and how things work.' Irsay-Gordon has not been involved in play-calling or in-game decisions, although wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. joked that by now, she's probably ready to call a play or two. But Irsay-Gordon was preparing for this moment, a moment that has come far sooner than she or her sisters would have wanted. A franchise-altering decision could be on the horizon. Irsay-Gordon clearly stated her belief Tuesday in general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen in her first public comments since her father's death, but she also acknowledged that the Colts haven't met the standard, echoing her father's final decision on Ballard and Steichen at the end of a disappointing 2024 season. Irsay-Gordon is now the person, along with Foyt and Jackson, who will make the decisions on Ballard and Steichen in the future. After a decade on the headset, she feels much better prepared to make those choices. 'I would suggest it for anybody else who has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars,' Irsay-Gordon said. 'It helps you make a less expensive mistake, potentially.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Timberwolves Commit To Finch After Knicks Interest
The Timberwolves Commit To Finch After Knicks Interest originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Following numerous reports of the New York Knicks' interest in Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, they followed the necessary steps to make a formal approach. Advertisement The Knicks are seeking a new coach after parting ways with former head coach Tom Thibodeau. That came after the Eastern Conference Finals when they lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Minnesota wants to maintain most of what has worked over the past few seasons. They have a superstar in Anthony Edwards, who is still improving as he looks to reach the pinnacle of basketball. The other important figure is Finch, who has been a constant since 2021. He and Edwards form the foundation of this team, and everyone is focused on the Timberwolves. Related: Brian Windhorst Gets Honest About How Chris Finch Has Links With The Knicks The Timberwolves Are Standing With Finch As The Coach Despite the allure of coaching the New York Knicks, that won't be in the cards for Finch. The Timberwolves refused when the Knicks requested to speak to the coach, so that means the organization is fully behind Finch. Advertisement That is a good sign for the Timberwolves because they have a strong system that supports their head coach. Finch should be pleased with the news because he looks happy to be in Minnesota with a group of players who respects him. Finch is not the only head coach that the Knicks did this because they also looked into getting Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka. It is an admirable job for the Knicks, but they must work elsewhere. Jason Kidd is heavily rumored, but the Dallas Mavericks are expected to deny the Knicks if they send in a request to interviewing him for the position vacated by Thibodeau. The Commitment To Finch Is A Good Sign For Minnesota With a good future set for the Timberwolves with Finch at the helm, the team is in good hands. He has been excellent with how he has lifted the Timberwolves from being a laughingstock to being one of the top four teams left in the league. The Timberwolves are focused on success at the highest level, especially in the competitive Western Conference. If they maintain this development well, Minnesota could become even better than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement Finch being the head coach means the players will be comfortable and ready for the next few seasons with Finch at the helm. The future is bright, and it will be challenging to keep the Timberwolves away from knocking on the door of the NBA Finals with their constant success in recent years. Related: Ant Edwards Recalls How Finch Lit A Fire Under Timberwolves This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Michael Cooper believes Magic Johnson deserved the Finals MVP over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1985 Finals: "I'm sure he wanted those"
Michael Cooper believes Magic Johnson deserved the Finals MVP over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1985 Finals: "I'm sure he wanted those" originally appeared on Basketball Network. In the NBA, the spotlight doesn't always land on the team's certified No. 1 option when it comes to their biggest triumphs. Advertisement A perfect example of this could be seen in the Boston Celtics' 2024 title victory, where Jaylen Brown was awarded the Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum. Similarly, in the 2025 Eastern Conference finals, it was Pascal Siakam who walked away with the MVP honor over Tyrese Haliburton. For Michael Cooper, such scenarios bring back memories of his own experience with the Los Angeles Lakers, especially during the 1985 NBA Finals. As, according to the former Defensive Player of the Year, it was Magic Johnson who truly carried the team on and off the court, but it was eventually Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who walked away with the Finals MVP honor. Cooper explained why Magic deserved the '85 Finals MVP award over Kareem A 37-year-old "Cap" was statistically the Lakers' best player during the 1985 NBA Finals when they beat their arch-rivals Boston Celtics, averaging a team-high 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists over six games. However, for Coop, Johnson's leadership was the ultimate x-factor for the Showtime Lakers. Advertisement Speaking on his podcast, the 69-year-old former shooting guard recalled how while Kareem might be prejudged as the team's anchor in terms of production, it was Magic who orchestrated the offense and encouraged all the players to find their rhythm, especially after dropping the series opener by 34 points. Moreover, Cooper understood that given that Abdul-Jabbar was in the last leg of his career, the emotional sentiment motivated everyone to crown him the Finals MVP, which made everyone conveniently overlook the fact that the team's point guard had averaged 18.3 points and a staggering 14.0 assists while playing the most minutes for the team in that series. "Magic was very pivotal in the room and for the entire series because he was the one that was firing us up, getting us ready to go. Kareem was a player that you didn't have to talk to much in the locker room. He was reading a newspaper or (was) in his own world," Cooper recalled the behind-the-scenes talks. "Magic was never about individual accolades, although I'm pretty sure he wanted those. We all do, but Magic was about the bottom line, 'How many championships?'... What you don't know is Magic was always in Kareem's ears and fed him the ball constantly," Cooper concluded. Advertisement Related: "He said, 'You the guy that broke all my records in high school, right?" - Shawn Kemp on the time Larry Bird told him exactly what he was going to do before scoring 40 points Magic made sure to bring out the best in Kareem When looking back on Kareem's illustrious resume, which contains six championships and six MVPs, it's impressive how he attained individual as well as team success so thoroughly. There's no denying that his dominance redefined the center position and earned him well-deserved accolades. But as Mike pointed out, without Magic's unselfish play and leadership, some of those titles might not have materialized. In 1980, for example, a young Magic stepped up when Kareem was injured. In the 1982 playoffs, Kareem averaged just 20.4 points, but it was Johnson again who fueled the Lakers' title run. Advertisement Even in 1987 and 1988, during Kareem's final championship runs, he averaged just 16.6 points across those two postseasons, while Magic continued to steer the ship and helped him add more silverware to his resume. Safe to say, had it not been for Magic, who knows, without those Larry O'Brien trophies, many would have found flaws in Abdud-Jabbar's legacy as well. Thankfully, Abdul-Jabbar had a teammate from Michigan who did everything to enrich his name in the basketball lore, and Coop recognized it fully. Related: "It was easy, beautiful basketball" - The moment Spencer Haywood realized what a genius Magic Johnson was This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.