Esa Lindell (born 23 May 1994) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Stars in the third round, 74th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
| Esa Lindell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lindell in 2014 | |||
| Born | 23 May 1994 Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Dallas Stars Jokerit Ässät | ||
| National team |  Finland | ||
| NHL draft | 74th overall, 2012 Dallas Stars | ||
| Playing career | 2012–present | ||
Playing career
editLindell made his SM-liiga debut playing with Jokerit during the 2012–13 season.[1] On 7 May 2014, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars, the organization that had drafted him in the third round, 74th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.[2]
Lindell was reassigned to the Liiga for the 2014–15 season, joining Ässät. He established a career-high year, registering 14 goals and 35 points in 57 games with the club, which led all Liiga defencemen in scoring, before on 16 March 2015 he was assigned by Dallas to the organization's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Texas Stars.
On 18 January 2016, Lindell received his first NHL call-up.[3] He made his debut the following day on 19 January in Dallas' game against the Los Angeles Kings. On 25 November, in his 17th career NHL game, Lindell scored his first NHL goal, coming in a 2–1 win against the Vancouver Canucks.[4]
In June 2017, Lindell signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract extension with Dallas worth an annual salary cap hit of $2.2 million.[5][6]
On 16 May 2019, Lindell signed a six-year, $34.8 million contract extension with the Stars, carrying an annual cap hit of $5.8 million.[7]
In February 2020, Lindell was made an alternate captain along with teammate Blake Comeau. Lindell and Tyler Seguin served as alternate captains during home games, while Comeau and John Klingberg served as alternate captains during road games.[8]
Personal life
editLindell joined the ownership group of Jokerit Helsinki in 2023, following the club's departure from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2022 and the subsequent restructuring of its operating company. The group includes Jokerit ry and a number of players with ties to the team, including Ossi Väänänen and Teuvo Teräväinen, among others.[9]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Jokerit | FIN U18 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Jokerit | Jr. A | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 48 | 21 | 30 | 51 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Kiekko–Vantaa | Mestis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Jokerit | Jr. A | 11 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | Jokerit | SM-l | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Kiekko–Vantaa | Mestis | 22 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Jokerit | SM-l | 44 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Kiekko–Vantaa | Mestis | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Ässät | SM-l | 57 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Texas Stars | AHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Texas Stars | AHL | 73 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 56 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 73 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Texas Stars | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 80 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 33 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 69 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 12 | 27 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 56 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 76 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 10 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2023–24 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 12 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| Liiga totals | 120 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| NHL totals | 604 | 49 | 142 | 191 | 144 | 85 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 18 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2022 Finland | |
 | 2016 Russia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| | 2014 Sweden | |
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Finland | IH18 | 4th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | |
| 2012 | Finland | U18 | 4th | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Finland | WJC |  | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2015 | Finland | WC | 6th | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Finland | WC |  | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Finland | WCH | 8th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Finland | WC | | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 19 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 22 | ||||
| Senior totals | 25 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | ||||
References
edit- ^ "2012–13 Jokerit player statistics". Eliteprospects.com. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Stars sign defenseman Esa Lindell to entry-level contract". Dallas Stars. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ "Dallas Stars recall Esa Lindell". Dallas Stars. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Esa Lindell scores first NHL goal in Stars win". NHL.com. 26 November 2016.
- ^ "Stars Sign Esa Lindell To New Contract". Defending Big D. 26 June 2017.
- ^ "Stars sign Esa Lindell to two-year contract extension". Dallas News. 26 June 2017.
- ^ "Stars sign defensemen Esa Lindell to 6-year contract extension". NHL.com. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Stars begin the road trip with comeback overtime win against the Devils". 2 February 2020.
- ^ Lehtisaari, Matti; Sipilä, Antti-Jussi (23 February 2023). "Esa Lindell kommentoi Jokerit-omistustaan: "Ilman muuta hieno homma" – Mikko Rantasen terävät sanat yllättivät Dallas-pakin". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database