Selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the No. 13 pick in the 2001 NHL Draft, Hemsky has spent the better part of two decades establishing himself as one of the best Czech-born forwards in NHL history.

A steady offensive contributor, Hemsky led the Oilers in scoring during four straight seasons (2005-09) and finished an 11-year run in Edmonton in 2014 ranked eighth in team history with 477 points.

Hemsky scored twice in the last four minutes of the series-clinching game against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2006 Western Conference Quarterfinals. Those two goals brought the Oilers back from a 3-2, third-period deficit and helped carry Edmonton to the Stanley Cup Finals, where it lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.

Hemsky finished that playoff run ranked fourth on the Oilers in scoring with 17 points (six goals). He would not play in the postseason again until 2016, but when he did he made yet another impact.

This time, as a member of the Dallas Stars, Hemsky had two assists in the first two games of the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild. He also scored a power-play goal in a Game 4 victory.

In between his stints in Edmonton and Dallas, Hemsky spent part of one season with the Ottawa Senators, who obtained him in a trade on March 5, 2014. His time in Ottawa, however, turned out to be brief.

Despite scoring four goals and 17 points in the final 20 games of the 2013-14 season, Hemsky was unable to agree on a new contract. He signed as a free agent with the Stars on July 1, 2014 after agreeing to a three-year contract.

A native of Pardubice, Czech Republic, Hemsky entered pro hockey as a 16-year-old with HC Pardubice in the Czech league during the 1999-2000 season.

Hemsky spent that season bouncing between Pardubice's top team and its junior club, then made the jump to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League after being drafted by Hull in the first round of the Canadian Hockey League's 2000 Import Draft.

Hemsky led QMJHL rookies in scoring with 36 goals and 100 points in 2000-01 and was named the winner of the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league's top prospect.

Hemsky scored 27 goals and 97 points in 2001-02, and led Hull in playoff scoring with 16 points (six goals).