Former Swift Current Broncos goaltender Joel Hofer made his professional playoff debut count Thursday night in the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs.
Getting the start for the Springfield Thunderbirds, the primary affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, Hofer made 34 saves and scored a rare playoff goalie goal with 3:48 left in the third period in a 6-2 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and was named the game's first star. The Thunderbirds lead the best-of-five series 2-0.
No caption needed. #GoalieGoal @ThunderbirdsAHL | #SPRvsWBS pic.twitter.com/OzvnqrrbRO
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 13, 2022
Hofer played 49 regular season games and two playoff games with the Broncos from 2017-2019 and was part of their WHL Championship team in 2018. He was also part of Canada's gold-medal winning team at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
Hofer was picked by the Blues in the 4th round, 107th overall, in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and made his debut with the team in November 2021, where he made 21 saves and picked up an assist in a 5-3 win over San Jose.