Made It a Little Sweeter: Ben Hemmerling's AHL Debut

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AHL Henderson Silver Knights

Made It a Little Sweeter: Ben Hemmerling's AHL Debut

March 19, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Henderson Silver Knights News Release


Solo laps are a longstanding tradition in the NHL for a player making their major league debut.

More unusual is to see the practice in the AHL. But when Silver Knights forward Ben Hemmerling prepared to head out for warmups on March 8, 2025, that's exactly what his veteran teammates asked him to do.

"It was special because he's been out for so long," said alternate captain Mason Morelli. "We were all so happy to see him get back. I know he was fired up, so we tried to make it a little bit more meaningful for him."

That solo lap was the culmination of years of hard work - not only the months spent rehabilitating an upper body injury, but also his seasons with the Everett Silvertips that earned him an entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.

"Just grateful that I was able to get there," said Hemmerling. "It made it a little sweeter after going through five months of rehab. Being able to go out and enjoy that moment was super special. The staff and my teammates were really supportive throughout my recovery. Couldn't be more thankful for the staff and the coaches and just the organization having my back throughout the whole process."

Now, Hemmerling is prepared to take on an entirely new challenge: finding his footing in the AHL.

He headed into the 2024-25 season coming off of his best year in the WHL, where he captained the Silvertips. Hemmerling tallied 91 points (30G, 61A) and finished just shy of a point-per-game in the postseason, notching four goals and four assists in nine games. After such a strong season, what has been the most difficult adjustment?

"I think just the speed of the game," he said. "Everyone's bigger and faster - coming out of juniors last year I was 19, so one of the older guys in the league. Now I'm right back to being one of the youngest in the league. Just using your head a little bit more, making those plays a little bit faster."

"It's tough, not only physically but mentally, especially as a 20 year old in this league. It's not easy to make it to this league at 20. When you deal with an injury the first preseason game of the year, it's tough. But you push through. And the coaches and just the whole organization were so supportive, and it was awesome to get back out there."

The drive to push himself saw Hemmerling rewarded with his first professional point on March 15, a primary assist on the game-tying goal in Henderson's comeback win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

He credits his positive mindset to the hours he spent on outdoor rinks growing up in Alberta, determined to get in as much extra practice as possible.

"I grew up on the ice near Edmonton, especially on outdoor rinks. I tell people that it's kind of all we got there," Hemmerling added. "So I grew up on my skates. Was always kind of a smaller guy growing up, so just always being on my skates and working hard was so important."

"I'm a pretty speedy winger. I like to use that to make plays and create offense. But mostly just trying to keep my compete level high, bring as much as I can every night, and help the team win. I loved to watch Brayden Point when I was growing up. He's a guy I liked to keep my eye on - smaller forward, great with the puck, 200 foot player. So that maybe shaped some of the ways that I look at contributing."

"I'm so happy to be here for my first pro year. Vegas is a first class organization. Everything they do, they do the right way. I'm looking forward to hopefully doing that for a lot more games next season."

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