Joel Hofer (born July 30, 2000) is a Canadian professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...
currently playing for the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL). He was drafted by the Blues in the fourth round, 107th overall, in the
2018 NHL entry draft. He made his NHL debut in 2021 with the Blues.
Playing career
Hofer first played major junior hockey in the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
(WHL) with the
Swift Current Broncos
The Swift Current Broncos are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1967, the Broncos relocated to Lethbridge, Alberta in 1974, and were known as the Lethbridge Broncos, before returning to S ...
. He initially served as backup goaltender to
Stuart Skinner, and participated in the team's
Ed Chynoweth Cup victory in the
2017–18 season.
He subsequently emerged as a starting goaltender and was traded to the
Portland Winterhawks
The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team relocated to Portland in 1976 and was known as the Winter Hawks until 2009. The team plays in the U.S. Divisio ...
, where he spent the remainder of his junior career.
In the
2019–20 season, his final one with the Winterhawks, Hofer was named to the Western Conference's Second All-Star Team.
Following his selection by the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
in the
2018 NHL entry draft, Hofer was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract on March 22, 2019. During the season, Hofer was recalled from AHL affiliate, the
Springfield Thunderbirds
The Springfield Thunderbirds are a professional ice hockey team based in Springfield, Massachusetts. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues. The Thunderbirds play their home games at th ...
, and made his NHL debut on November 5, 2021 against the
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...
, where he tallied an assist in the 5–3 win. Upon making his debut at the age of 21 years, 97 days, he became the youngest goaltender to win his NHL debut with the Blues. While playing with the Thunderbirds during the
Calder Cup playoffs, Hofer scored a goal against the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Pengui ...
on May 12. This was the first instance of an AHL goaltender physically scoring a goal.
Entering his final year of his entry-level contract in
2022–23, Hofer was re-assigned to continue his development in the AHL. He enjoyed success with the Thunderbirds, and at the end of the season was named to the league's Second All-Star Team.
He played the third-most minutes of any AHL goaltender that season.
[
On January 3, 2023, Hofer was signed by the Blues to a two-year, one-way contract extension worth $1.55 million.
]
International play
Hofer was invited to make his international debut for Canada with the national junior team after attending the selection camp for the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2020 WJHC'') was the 44th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, held from 26 December 2019 to 5 January 2020. Canada defeated Russia 4–3 to win the gold medal and their 18th wor ...
.[ He was not initially Team Canada's starting goaltender, that position occupied by Nico Daws. After Daws allowed four goals on the first 17 shots of the team's second game of the tournament against ]Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, Hofer relieved him midgame. He allowed two goals on 22 shots, and was thereafter given the net.[ Team Canada went on a deep run to the championship final, a rematch with Russia, where Hofer made 35 saves on 38 shots in Canada's gold medal win. He was given the ]IIHF
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries.
The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey tourn ...
directorate award for Best Goaltender of the tournament, as well as named to the events Media All-Star Team.
Following his successful 2022–23 AHL season
The 2022–23 AHL season was the 87th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 14, 2022, and ended on April 16, 2023. The 2023 Calder Cup playoffs followed the conclusion of the regular season, and began on April ...
, Hofer was invited to join the senior national team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship
The 2023 IIHF World Championship was co-hosted by Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. The tournament was held from 12 to 28 May 2023, organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Canada men's national ice hockey team, Canada won ...
. He made his first appearance on May 17 against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
, where he allowed one goal on 17 shots in Team Canada's 5–1 win. He ultimately appeared in two of ten tournament games, managing a .925 save percentage, while Team Canada won the gold medal. The following year, he rejoined the team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship as one of its three goaltenders, alongside Blues teammate Jordan Binnington and former World Junior teammate Daws.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hofer, Joel
2000 births
Living people
Canadian people of Austrian descent
Canadian people of Swiss descent
Ice hockey people from Winnipeg
Portland Winterhawks players
San Antonio Rampage players
Springfield Thunderbirds players
St. Louis Blues draft picks
St. Louis Blues players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Swift Current Broncos players
Utica Comets players