Esa Lindell

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 Lindell made his SM-liiga debut playing with Jokerit during the 2012–13 season. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

International play

He represented Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics and won a bronze medal.

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.

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 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 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