Erik Haula

Erik Haula
Born	(1991-03-23) March 23, 1991 Finland
Occupation	Professional ice hockey forward
Years active	2013–present
Known for	Playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) for multiple teams including Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators

Erik Haula (born March 23, 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League (NHL). His career includes stints with the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils. Haula was drafted by the Wild in the seventh round, 182nd overall, during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Junior

Haula launched his hockey journey with the local team HC Ässät Pori. In the 2006–07 campaign, he tallied 43 points across 29 games for Ässät’s U18 squad, followed by 22 points in 40 contests for Ässät U20 competing in the U20 SM-sarja, where his team finished as runners-up to KalPa. Despite this, he did not manage to secure a spot on Ässät’s senior SM-liiga roster.

Amateur

During the 2008–09 season, Haula competed for Shattuck-Saint Mary's in Faribault, amassing 79 points over 49 games. In March 2009, he committed to play collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota, becoming only the second player from outside North America to join the Gophers, following future Wild teammate Thomas Vanek.

Prior to starting college, Haula played junior hockey with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL in the 2009–10 season while attending Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School. He registered 28 goals and 44 assists with a +36 plus-minus rating, contributing significantly to Omaha’s advancement to the Western Division finals and earning both All-Star and All-Rookie distinctions.

Over three seasons at Minnesota, Haula accumulated a total of 42 goals and 82 assists in 114 games before opting to leave prior to his senior year and sign a professional contract with the Wild.

Minnesota Wild

On April 7, 2013, Haula inked an entry-level deal with the Minnesota Wild. During the 2013–14 season, he made his NHL debut on November 29, 2013, after being called up from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL). In that game against the Colorado Avalanche, he recorded his first NHL point with an assist and earned third star honors despite a 3–1 loss. He was reassigned to Iowa on December 9 but returned to Minnesota by January 18, 2014, when he netted his first NHL goal versus the Dallas Stars. In the subsequent 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, Haula contributed four goals and three assists over 13 games.

Following the completion of the 2014–15 NHL season, Haula entered restricted free agency. The Wild extended a qualifying offer, and on July 27, 2015, he filed for salary arbitration.

The 2015–16 season represented a breakout period for Haula as he more than doubled his previous career highs in goals, assists, and total points. Positioned as center on Minnesota’s third line alongside Nino Niederreiter and Jason Pominville, he emerged as a vital offensive presence while effectively matching up defensively against top-tier opponents.

Vegas Golden Knights

After completing four seasons with Minnesota during the 2016–17 season, Haula was left unprotected for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft as a restricted free agent. He agreed to a three-year contract worth $8.25 million with the newly formed Vegas Golden Knights. On June 21, 2017, Vegas selected Haula in the expansion draft and traded prospect Alex Tuch along with a conditional third-round pick in 2018 to Minnesota. Haula viewed joining Vegas as an opportunity for renewal and professional growth.

On October 14, Haula sustained a lower-body injury that sidelined him for four games before returning on October 27 against the Colorado Avalanche. Throughout the season, he was utilized in various line combinations and eventually centered a unit with wingers David Perron and James Neal, which enhanced his offensive output. In December, both Haula and teammate William Karlsson scored seven goals each, placing them eighth among league leaders.

On February 1, Haula scored during a game that saw Vegas set an NHL record for most wins by an expansion franchise in its inaugural year. He concluded that season achieving personal bests with 29 goals and 55 points across 76 contests.

In the course of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, Haula netted an overtime game-winning goal in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, which became the longest game in franchise history. The Golden Knights swept Los Angeles and then defeated the San Jose Sharks in six games to reach their first Western Conference Final where they overcame the Winnipeg Jets in five games.

Returning for the following 2018–19 campaign without Perron and Neal on his line, Haula shifted to wing on Vegas’s second line alongside center Paul Stastny and winger Max Pacioretty. He suffered a right leg injury after being hit by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Patrick Marleau, initially anticipated to miss three games. At that point in time, he had accumulated two goals and five assists over 15 appearances. Subsequent evaluations revealed a longer recovery period was necessary, resulting in placement on injured reserve. In December of that year, Haula underwent surgery on his right knee.

Carolina Hurricanes

On 26 June 2019, Haula was exchanged by the Golden Knights to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for prospect Nicolas Roy and a conditional fifth-round draft selection. He started the 2019–20 NHL season strongly, tallying eight points across nine games and receiving commendation from teammate Jordan Martinook, who described him as an "ideal fit." By November, Haula had accumulated 11 points in 16 contests, placing fourth in goals for the Hurricanes before missing four matches due to a lower-body injury. After recovering, he took on the center role for Brock McGinn and Brian Gibbons on the fourth line but was sidelined again on 18 November because of a knee injury. Following a 15-game absence, Haula made his comeback on 21 December during a 4–2 defeat against the Florida Panthers.

Florida Panthers

As free agency approached, Haula was traded by the Hurricanes at the NHL trade deadline on 24 February 2020 to the Florida Panthers, along with Lucas Wallmark, Eetu Luostarinen, and Chase Priskie, in exchange for Vincent Trocheck.

Nashville Predators

Prior to the delayed start of the 2020–21 NHL season, on 23 December 2020, Haula agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million with the Nashville Predators. During the abbreviated campaign, he contributed nine goals and totaled 21 points over 51 games.

Boston Bruins

Following his tenure with the Predators, Haula entered free agency and subsequently signed a two-year contract valued at $4.75 million with the Boston Bruins on 28 July 2021. Throughout training camp and preseason, he centered a line alongside Jake DeBrusk and Nick Foligno. On 13 November 2021, Haula netted his inaugural goal for the Bruins in a 5–2 away victory over the New Jersey Devils. Although his start was modest, he concluded the season with career-high numbers since 2017-18: 18 goals and 44 points in 78 games.

New Jersey Devils

On 13 July 2022, Haula was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Pavel Zacha. Later, on 23 June 2023, he secured a three-year contract extension worth $9.45 million with the Devils.

Return to Nashville

On 18 June 2025, Haula returned to the Predators via trade in exchange for Jeremy Hanzel and a fourth-round selection in the 2025 draft.

Personal life

During his early years, Haula attended Björneborgs svenska samskola, a Swedish-language school recognized for cultivating skilled ice hockey players. His father, Tomi, works as an agent representing hockey athletes.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006–07	Ässät	FIN U18		29	19	24	43	24		6	1	3	4	4
2007–08	Ässät	FIN U18		3	1	1	2	0		2	4	2	6	14
2007–08	Ässät	FIN U20		40	7	15	22	26		12	2	0	2	4
2008–09	Shattuck-Saint Mary's	Midget AAA		49	24	55	79	42		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Omaha Lancers	USHL		56	28	44	72	59		8	2	9	11	2
2010–11	University of Minnesota	WCHA		34	6	18	24	22		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season | University of Minnesota | WCHA |37 |16 |35 |51 |14 |— |— |— |— |— |- 2012–13 AHL season | Houston Aeros | AHL |6 |0 |2 |2 |2 |5 |1 |1 |2 |4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2013–14 AHL season | Iowa Wild | AHL |31 |14 |13 |27 |14 |— |— |— |— |— |- 2013–14 NHL season | Minnesota Wild | NHL |46 |6 |9 |15 |29 |13 |4 |3 |7 |0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2014–15 NHL season | Minnesota Wild | NHL |72 |7 |7 |14 |32 |2 |1 |0 |1 |0 |- 2015–16 NHL season  || Minnesota Wild || NHL ||76 ||14 ||20 ||34 ||24 ||5 ||1 ||3 ||4 ||2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2016–17 NHL season || Minnesota Wild || NHL ||72 ||15 ||11 ||26 ||28 ||4 ||0 ||1 ||1 ||0 |- 2017–18 NHL season || Vegas Golden Knights || NHL ||76 ||29 ||26 ||55 ||37 ||20 ||3 ||6 ||9 ||27 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2018–19 NHL season || Vegas Golden Knights || NHL ||15 ||2 ||5 ||7 ||10 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||— |- 2019–20 NHL season || Carolina Hurricanes || NHL ||41 ||12 ||10 ||22 ||20 ||— ||— ||— ||— ||— |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2019–20 Florida Panthers NHL 7 0 2 2 2 4 1 0 1 0 |- 2020–21 NHL season Nashville Predators NHL 51 9 12 21 14 6 1 3 4 4 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2021–22 NHL season Boston Bruins NHL 78 18 26 44 47 7 1 2 3 8 |- 2022–23 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL 80 14 27 41 47 12 4 2 6 15 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2023–24 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL 76 16 19 35 54 — — — — — |- 2024–25 NHL season New Jersey Devils NHL 69 11 10 21 39 5 0 1 1 2 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"	NHL totals !759 !153 !184 !337 !383 !78 !16 !21 !37 !58

International

Year	Team	Tournament	Placement		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008	Finland	U17	6th place		5	2	8	10	18
2008	Finland	U18	6th place		6	1	3	4	2
2009	Finland	U18	Template:Bronze3		6	3	1	4	2
2011	Finland	WJC	6th place		6	4	3	7	10
2014	Finland	WC	Template:Silver2		6	0	1	1	2
2016	Finland	WCH	8th place		1	0	0	0	0
2025	Finland	4NF	4th place		3	0	0	0	0
Junior career totals					23	10	15	25	32
Senior career totals					10	0	1	1	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year