Joel Hofer agrees to two-year contract extension with the St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues have announced a contract extension for goaltender Joel Hofer in a press release. The contract will start in the 2023-24 season and will carry an AAV of $775,000. It is a one-way contract, which means Hofer will need to clear waivers to be sent down to the American Hockey League.

The 22-year-old netminder has played the majority of the 2022-23 season so far with the Springfield Thunderbirds. In 22 games, he has a record of 10-8-4 along with a 2.39 GAA and .922 SV%. He also played his first two career NHL for the Blues, earning his first win and posting an .880 SV%.

Joel Hofer was originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fourth-round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He was then playing for the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL. He went on to play three seasons in the WHL, split between the Broncos and the Portland Winterhawks after the 2018-19 trade that sent him there.

Hofer had his breakout season in 2019-20 in Portland, securing a record of 34-8-5 with 2.49 GAA and .915 SV%. The highlight of that season was when he was called upon to be the starting netminder for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship.

En route to a gold medal performance Hofer played six games, shutting the door with a 1.60 GAA and .939 SV%. Hofer graduated from the WHL and played parts of three season with the San Antonio Rampage, Utica Comets, and Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL.

To date, Hofer has played 72 AHL games with an impressive 32-29-10 record. The 6’5 goalie is in the Blues’ future plans for that position. Thomas Greiss is an aging veteran on a one-year deal and Jordan Binnington has struggled in net of late. It is only a matter of time before Hofer is given the chance to take the reigns in St. Louis and run with it.