Joel David L'Esperance (born August 18, 1995) is a former American 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 ...

forward. He most recently played for the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL).

Playing career

Amateur

L'Esperance as a

Brighton, Michigan Brighton is a city in Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,446. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area. It is one of two incorporated cities in Livingston County ...

native, first played as a junior with the

Detroit Compuware The Detroit Compuware Ambassadors were an elite Midget Major ice hockey team playing in the Midwest Elite Hockey League, Tier I Elite Hockey League. The Ambassadors previously had separate franchises that competed in the North American Hockey Lea ...

program through to the under-16 level. He was originally selected 41st overall in the 2011

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

Futures Draft, however signed with the

Tri-City Storm The Tri-City Storm is a Tier I junior ice hockey team based in Kearney, Nebraska, that plays in the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Its name refers to the three central Nebraskan cities of Kearney, Hastings, and ...

for the 2011–12 season. He tallied 67 points in 111 career games in the USHL for the Storm and

Sioux City Musketeers The Sioux City Musketeers are a junior ice hockey team based in Sioux City, Iowa. The Musketeers play their home games at Tyson Events Center, and are members of the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team was fou ...

from 2011 to 2014 before committing to play collegiate hockey with

Michigan Tech Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Uppe ...

of the

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college ice hockey conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated as a me ...

(WCHA). L'Esperance played four full seasons with the Huskies, potting 46 goals and 98 points through 158 games, helping the Michigan Tech claim the WCHA Championship in back-to-back seasons during his junior and senior years. Adding 27 points in 44 games as a Senior in the 2017–18 season, L'Esperance immediately embarked on his professional career by agreeing to an amateur try-out with the

Texas Stars The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Cedar Park, Texas. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars. They play their homes games at the H-E-B Center. History In ...

of the

on March 27, 2018.

Professional

Joining Texas in their push to the post-season, L'Esperance made his debut the following day in a 3–2 shootout loss to the

on March 28, 2018. He later added his first professional goal in a 4–3 victory over the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

on April 7, 2018. Registering 2 points in 9 regular season games, L'Esperance established a role in the playoffs appearing in all 22 postseason contests with Texas, recording four points in his first trip to the Calder Cup finals, before losing to the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

in seven games. Undrafted, L'Esperance impressed with his growth in development through his senior year with the Huskies and try-out with Texas and was rewarded as a free agent with a two-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on July 2, 2018. After attending the Stars 2018 training camp, he was reassigned to begin the 2018–19 season with the Texas Stars. L'Esperance made an immediate impact with Texas, finding his scoring touch to impressively lead the league as a rookie in goals with 27 in 49 games earning a selection to the AHL All-Star Classic before receiving his first recall to the NHL on February 14, 2019. He made his NHL debut with the Stars, playing 15 minutes, in a 3–0 defeat to the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

at the

PNC Arena Lenovo Center (originally Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena and formerly RBC Center and PNC Arena) is an list of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. The arena seats 18,700 for ice hockey and 19,500 ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

on February 15, 2019. During the 2021–22 season he recorded a career-high 49 points on 24 goals and 25 assists in 62 games for the Texas Stars. In four seasons in the AHL with the Stars, he recorded 80 goals, 56 assists and 92 penalty minutes in 183 games. On July 13, 2022, L'Esperance signed a two-year AHL contract with the

. March 17, 2025, Joel announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:L'Esperance, Joel 1995 births Living people American people of French descent American men's ice hockey centers Dallas Stars players Grand Rapids Griffins players Ice hockey players from Michigan Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey players Sportspeople from Brighton, Michigan Sioux City Musketeers players Texas Stars players Tri-City Storm players Undrafted National Hockey League players 21st-century American sportsmen