PuckSleuth
Joel Hofer30

St. Louis Blues · Goalie · Catches L

Joel Hofer

Age 26 · 6'5" · 197 lb · Born in Winnipeg, CAN

Cap hit

$3.4M

3.3% of $104M cap

Term

1 yr

Through 2026-27, then RFA

Clause

None

Surplus value

+$5.042M

vs. $8.442M market estimate

Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source

2026-27 regular season

GP

1

1 starts

Record

1-0-0

SV%

1.000

GAA

0.00

Shots against

25

GSAx

+2.9

goals saved above expected

Game Score

+2.92

per game

Game log

Last 5 games · NHL API

GameDecSASVGASV%TOIxGAGSAxHD savesGS
Oct 2@ DAL · W 4-0W252501.00060:002.92+2.921/1+2.92
Apr 16@ UTA · W 5-3W23203.87060:002.63-0.372/2-0.37
Apr 13vs MIN · W 6-3W31283.90359:503.06+0.064/5+0.06
Apr 11@ CHI · W 5-3W34313.91260:002.99-0.011/2-0.01
Apr 7vs COL · L 3-1L37343.91955:512.67-0.332/3-0.33

Dec = decision (W, L, OTL; ND = started, no decision). HD saves = high-danger shots on goal stopped. GS = our Game Score.

Advanced metrics

2025-26 · 46 GP · 2,625 min · percentile vs. NHL goalies

SV%.910

89th percentile

GSAx+13.5

87th percentile

GSAx/60+0.31

83rd percentile

HDSV%.729

56th percentile

HD GSAx+7.5

81st percentile

5v5 GSAx+5.5

77th percentile

EV SV%.915

86th percentile

Quality start %60.5%

70th percentile

Really bad start %18.6%

63rd percentile

xGA/602.91

49th percentile

Expected goals come from our own model and rate every unblocked shot he faced by its chance of going in. High-danger shots are those worth 0.15 expected goals or more. Percentiles compare him with goalies who played 600 minutes that season. xGA/60 shows how hard his workload was, so its bar is grey.

Play styleClean-sheet rebound controller

Trait percentiles vs. NHL goalies · 2025-26

Hofer's numbers show a well-rounded starter who is above average on every measured trait, led by elite rebound control and strong saves on dangerous shots. He saves more goals than expected, with 13.5 goals saved above expected and quality starts in 60% of his games.

Rebound controlBig savesPenalty killConsistentStarter
High-danger saves
81
Routine saves
67
Rebound control
97
5-on-5 saves
73
PK saves
80
Consistency
70
Workload
64

Strengths

  • Rebound control ranks in the 97th percentile, giving few second-chance shots.
  • High-danger saves sit at the 81st percentile, with a .729 save % on 155 shots.
  • PK saves rank in the 80th percentile while his team is shorthanded.

Watch-outs

  • Routine saves are his lowest trait at the 67th percentile, still above average.
  • Consistency is at the 70th percentile, with 40% of starts falling short of quality.

Similar style: Jet Greaves (CBJ), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF)

Built from play-by-play and our expected goals model, compared with goalies who have 600+ minutes in the season.

Career stats

From the NHL's player records

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGSWLOTLSV%GAASOSAGA
2015-16NAPHL 16UPursuit of Excellence U16 AAA12————.8902.92———
2015-16CSSHL U18RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna U186—311.8873.20115816
2015-16CSSHL U17RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna U1715—1230.9371.74541326
2015-16 (playoffs)CSSHL U17RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna U172————.8793.50———
2016-17CSSHL U18RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna U1814—950.9152.85237632
2016-17NAPHL 18UPursuit of Excellence U18 AAA11————.8833.10———
2016-17 (playoffs)CSSHL U18RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna U182————.8268.00———
2016-17 (playoffs)NAPHL 18UPursuit of Excellence U18 AAA2————.9181.92———
2017-18WHLSwift Current Broncos19—832.9142.61145639
2017-18 (playoffs)WHLSwift Current Broncos2—000.8752.600162
2018-19AHLSan Antonio Rampage1—010.8864.110354
2018-19WHLPortland Winterhawks18—980.9113.18260554
2018-19WHLSwift Current Broncos30—6213.9044.0211257121
2018-19 (playoffs)WHLPortland Winterhawks5—120.8714.03016321
2019-20WHLPortland Winterhawks48—3485.9152.4941383118
2019-20WJC-20Canada U206—50—.9461.3011489
2020-21AHLUtica Comets10—460.8983.33230331
2021-22NHLSt. Louis Blues22110.8803.070506
2021-22AHLSpringfield Thunderbirds39—18142.9052.9611171111
2021-22 (playoffs)AHLSpringfield Thunderbirds10—648.9342.56139126
2022-23NHLSt. Louis Blues66311.9053.22017917
2022-23WCCanada2—110.9251.460403
2022-23AHLSpringfield Thunderbirds47—27155.9212.5051473116
2022-23 (playoffs)AHLSpringfield Thunderbirds2—025.8535.2506810
2023-24NHLSt. Louis Blues302715121.9142.65183072
2023-24WCCanada1—100.8672.000152
2024-25NHLSt. Louis Blues31281683.9042.64176774
2025-26NHLSt. Louis Blues464324135.9102.6161250114
2026-27NHLSt. Louis Blues111001.0000.001250

Every league he has played in, from the NHL's records, regular season and playoffs.

Sentiment & chatter

Fans

—

Beat writers

—

Media

—

Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.

Recent Game Scores

Last 10 games · goals above average

Average +0.64 per game over these 10.

Where his Game Score comes from

+2.92 per game

2026-27 · 1 GP

Season total +2.9, or +2.92 per game.

Goaltending
+2.9

Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.

Usage

Last 2 games this season

Did not start last game (Jordan Binnington did).

From the NHL's shift charts, averaged over this season's last 10 games.

Age curve

At 26: 100% of peak

NHL goalies · production index

202937

At 26, goalies typically produce 100% of their peak (age 26).

From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.

Contract by season

1 season left

SeasonTeamCap hit% of cap
2026-27STL$3.4M3.3%

RFA after 2026-27. $3.4M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).