Last year, Columbus’ selection of Smith came with lots of praise. The defenseman from Calgary spent his junior years with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL before being one of the first to make the jump from the CHL to NCAA hockey. Smith’s freshman season with Penn State came at a time where all of the lights pivoted to State College thanks to the presence of 2026 No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna.
Smith had to manage not only the Blue Jackets’ expectations but an entire fanbase’s hope to see the Nittany Lions, at minimum, replicate the 2024-25 season’s success in which the team made its first Frozen Four appearance.
“I didn't think about it too much, honestly. Like, I knew it was there, but I just tried to play my game and focus on Penn State. That's the team that I was with,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, I was just worried about winning hockey games and bettering myself, and that would just make me better for Columbus.”
Although Penn State didn’t capture the national championship, Smith’s freshman year was one for the books. The Nittany Lions’ first-ever first-round pick found his name on both the All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and he helped Penn State reach the NCAA postseason.
In the New England region, Hemming completed his freshman year playing college hockey alongside Smith, skating for Boston College in the second half of its season after facing a little chaos himself. Hemming went through a transfer issue that kept him off the ice the first half of the year, but once joining the Eagles, he solidified a foundation to demonstrate his full potential in the years ahead.
“I'm excited for that, just to get a full season, and then kind of know what I'm getting myself into,” Hemming said on next year’s season with Boston College. “So, it's going to be fun.”
The college route is certainly becoming a popular one for young prospects, but at development camp, the two shared the ice for the first time – away from college, juniors or any form of rivalries – making the parallel lines finally intersect.
The 6-foot-4 skaters stood out among their fellow prospects, both literally and figuratively. Their stature towered over others, making the two a presence to go up against, but it was an exciting challenge for the two to anticipate.
“He's a great player, so it’s fun seeing him here, and he's an awesome guy, so it's fun,” Hemming said of Smith. “It's always fun to go against great players, so just waiting for that to happen.”
“He's a huge kid, he skates well,” Smith said about Hemming. “That was first I've ever seen him skate out there. He looks really good, so he's an exciting prospect, and I can't wait to see him grow as well.”
Going up against one another didn’t come to fruition, though. Instead, they were in the same camp group with one another and pulled the same jersey over their head when suiting up for the Stinger Cup. This moment hopefully initiated a pattern for future Columbus games, ones where both Smith and Hemming are continuously suiting up for the same team.
Leaving development camp, the two parted ways once more, each returning to their individual summer training programs. But in a passing-of-the-torch moment, Smith offered a piece of advice to Hemming as he becomes the new focal point of Columbus’ prospect pool.
“I think just try to get a little bit better every day,” Smith said. “I know a bunch of Columbus guys will be talking to him throughout the year, so just using their advice and just enjoying it too. Like, it's hockey. It's what you love to do. So just going to the rink with a smile on your face every day, and just want to get better so you can make the jumps.”
Smith and Hemming have the rare opportunity to relate in ways other Blue Jackets prospects can’t. And with knowing how intertwined the No. 14 is in Columbus history, who’s to say that these two 14s aren’t just keeping with tradition?
