Esa Lindell

Esa Lindell
Lindell in 2014
Born	(1994-05-23) 23 May 1994 (age 30) 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

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.

Playing career

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 September 19, 2024, Lindell signed a five-year, $26.25 million extension with the Stars, carrying an annual cap hit of $5.25 million. ^[9]

Personal life

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. ^[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				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

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

1. "2012–13 Jokerit player statistics". Eliteprospects.com. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
2. "Stars sign defenseman Esa Lindell to entry-level contract". Dallas Stars . 7 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
3. "Dallas Stars recall Esa Lindell". Dallas Stars. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
4. "Esa Lindell scores first NHL goal in Stars win". NHL.com. 26 November 2016.
5. "Stars Sign Esa Lindell To New Contract". Defending Big D. 26 June 2017.
6. "Stars sign Esa Lindell to two-year contract extension". Dallas News. 26 June 2017.
7. "Stars sign defensemen Esa Lindell to 6-year contract extension". NHL.com. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
8. "Stars begin the road trip with comeback overtime win against the Devils". 2 February 2020.
9. "Lindell signs 5-year, $26.25 million contract with Stars". NHL.com. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
10. 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

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database