Esa Lindell
| Esa Lindell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lindell in 2014 | |||
| Born |
23 May 1994 Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 217 lb (98 kg; 15 st 7 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 | ||
Esa Lindell (born 23 May 1994) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a 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.
Playing career
[edit]Lindell 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]
On 19 September 2024, Lindell signed a five-year, $26.25 million extension with the Stars, carrying an annual cap hit of $5.25 million.[9]
International play
[edit]| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 2026 Milano Cortina | |
| World Championships | ||
 | 2022 Finland | |
 | 2016 Russia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| 2014 Sweden | |
He represented Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics and won a bronze medal.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Lindell 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.[11]
Career statistics
[edit]Regular 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 | ||
| 2024–25 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 80 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 14 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2025–26 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| Liiga totals | 120 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| NHL totals | 766 | 60 | 189 | 249 | 178 | 109 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 28 | ||||
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 | |
| 2025 | Finland | 4NF | 4th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2026 | Finland | OG |  |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 19 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 22 | ||||
| Senior totals | 34 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 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. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ↑ "Dallas Stars recall Esa Lindell". Dallas Stars. 18 January 2016. Archived from the original on 28 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. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ↑ "Stars sign Esa Lindell to two-year contract extension". Dallas News. 26 June 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 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.
- ↑ "Lindell signs 5-year, $26.25 million contract with Stars". NHL.com. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ↑ "Finland defeats Slovakia to win bronze medal in Olympic men's hockey". Sportsnet.ca. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ 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 ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Esa Lindell at Milano Cortina 2026
- Esa Lindell at Olympics.com
- Esa Lindell at Olympedia
- Esa Lindell at InterSportStats
- Esa Lindell at Olympiakomitea.fi (in Finnish)
- Esa Lindell on Instagram
- 1994 births
- Living people
- HC Ässät Pori players
- Dallas Stars draft picks
- Dallas Stars players
- Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Finnish ice hockey defencemen
- 21st-century Finnish sportsmen
- Ice hockey people from Helsinki
- Ice hockey players at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- Medalists at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- Olympic bronze medalists for Finland
- Olympic medalists in ice hockey
- Olympic ice hockey players for Finland
- Jokerit players
- Kiekko-Vantaa players
- Texas Stars players
- 4 Nations Face-Off players
