Joel Hofer
Joel Hofer | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 30, 2000 Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey goaltender |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Known for | Playing for the St. Louis Blues in the NHL |
Joel Hofer (born July 30, 2000) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 107th overall by the Blues in the 2018 NHL entry draft, he made his first NHL appearance in 2021.
Playing career
Hofer's major junior hockey journey started in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Swift Current Broncos, where he initially served as a backup to Stuart Skinner during the team's Ed Chynoweth Cup championship in the 2017–18 season. Eventually, he assumed the role of starting goaltender before being traded to the Portland Winterhawks, where he completed his junior tenure. His performance in the 2019–20 season earned him a place on the Western Conference's Second All-Star Team.
Following his selection by St. Louis, Hofer inked a three-year entry-level deal on March 22, 2019. In 2021, after being called up from the AHL affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds, he made his NHL debut on November 5, contributing an assist during a 5–3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. At 21 years and 97 days old, Hofer set a franchise record as the youngest goaltender to win his NHL debut for St. Louis. During the 2022 Calder Cup playoffs with Springfield, he notably scored a goal against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, becoming the first AHL goalie to physically score a goal.
In the concluding year of his entry-level contract (2022–23), Hofer continued honing his skills in the AHL, securing a spot on the league's Second All-Star Team and ranking third in total minutes played among AHL goaltenders. On January 3, 2023, he agreed to a two-year, one-way contract extension with St. Louis valued at $1.55 million.
International play
Hofer made his international debut representing the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team after participating in the selection camp for the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Initially not starting, he replaced Nico Daws midway through a game against Russia after Daws conceded four goals on 17 shots. Hofer then allowed two goals on 22 shots and secured the starting position moving forward. Canada reached the final, where Hofer recorded 35 saves on 38 shots to help secure gold over Russia. His outstanding performance earned him the IIHF Directorate Award for Best Goaltender and a spot on the Media All-Star Team.
After an impressive 2022–23 AHL season, Hofer was selected for the Canada men's national ice hockey team competing at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. He debuted on May 17 against Kazakhstan, conceding one goal on 17 shots in a 5–1 win. Over two appearances out of ten games, Hofer posted a .925 save percentage as Canada claimed gold. He returned for the 2024 IIHF World Championship as one of three goaltenders alongside Blues teammate Jordan Binnington and former junior teammate Daws.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2017–18 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 19 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 897 | 39 | 1 | 2.61 | .914 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 2 | 0 | 2.60 | .875 | ||
| 2018–19 | Swift Current Broncos | WHL | 30 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 1806 | 121 | 1 | 4.02 | .904 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 18 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1019 | 54 | 2 | 3.18 | .911 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 312 | 21 | 0 | 4.03 | .871 | ||
| 2018–19 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 4 | 0 | 4.11 | .886 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 48 | 34 | 8 | 5 | 2839 | 118 | 4 | 2.49 | .915 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Utica Comets | AHL | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 558 | 31 | 2 | 3.33 | .898 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 39 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 2252 | 111 | 1 | 2.96 | .905 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 609 | 26 | 1 | 2.56 | .934 | ||
| 2021–22 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 117 | 6 | 0 | 3.07 | .880 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 47 | 27 | 15 | 5 | 2780 | 116 | 5 | 2.50 | .921 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 114 | 10 | 0 | 5.25 | .853 | ||
| 2022–23 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 318 | 17 | 0 | 3.22 | .905 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 30 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 1629 | 71 | 1 | 2.62 | .914 | ||||||||||
| 2024–25 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 31 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 1679 | 74 | 1 | 2.64 | .904 | ||||||||||
| NHL totals | 69 | 35 | 22 | 5 | 3742 | 168 | 2 | 2.71 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Outcome | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Canada | WJC | Template:Gold1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 338 | 9 | 1 | 1.60 | .939 | |
| 2023 | Canada | WC | Template:Gold1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 124 | 3 | 0 | 1.46 | .925 | |
| 2024 | Canada | WC | Fourth place | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | .867 | |
| Junior career totals | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 338 | 9 | 1 | 1.60 | .939 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 184 | 5 | 0 | 1.63 | .909 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| WHL | |
| Ed Chynoweth Cup champion | 2018 |
| Western Conference Second All-Star Team | 2020 |
| AHL | |
| Second All-Star Team | 2023 |
| International | |
| World Junior Championships Best Goaltender | 2020 |
| World Junior Championships Media All-Star Team | 2020 |