| Position: | Centre |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 0 |
| Weight Lb: | 185 |
| Played For: | Oulun Kärpät Espoo Blues Tappara Los Angeles Kings Lukko Färjestads BK Atlant Moscow Oblast Jokerit EV Zug AIK IF |
| Ntl Team: | Finland |
| Birth Date: | 1 April 1977 |
| Birth Place: | Oulu, Finland |
| Draft: | 174th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2003 |
| Draft Team: | Los Angeles Kings |
| Career Start: | 1995 |
| Career End: | 2016 |
Esa Pirnes (born April 1, 1977) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey centre. He played most of his career, which lasted from 1995 to 2016, in the Finnish Liiga. He also played 57 games in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2003–04 season, after the Kings selected him in the 6th round (174th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Internationally Pirnes played for the Finnish national team at four World Championships, winning two bronze medals.
Pirnes started his career with Kärpät in the Finnish second league in 1995 and played with them until 1999, when he signed with SM-Liiga club Blues. He stayed with the Blues for two seasons before he moved to rivals Tappara in 2001. In 2003, he was drafted by the Kings after four good seasons in SM-Liiga. Pirnes went over the Atlantic Ocean to play in the National Hockey League. But he did not have the same success in NHL as he had in Finland. Despite playing 57 games with LA he only scored 11 points. Before the season was over he also played a few games with the Kings's farm team, Manchester Monarchs of the AHL. He was named to team Finland in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey roster, but did not play a game.[1] But he did not stay in the NHL, instead he went back home to Finland and signed with Lukko for the 2004/05 season.
After one year in Lukko he moved back to his former club, Blues. But after the season he signed with his fifth club in five years, Swedish club Färjestads BK, for the 2006/07 season. In Färjestad he was re-united with his former teammate from Lukko, Janne Niskala. In the Season 2008/2009 Pirnes signed to play for Atlant Moscow Oblast and left the club on May 6, 2009 the club to sign with Jokerit.[2]
In May 2012, Pirnes signed with AIK of the Swedish Elitserien (SEL).[3]
Sometime in 2020, Pirnes became the European Development Coach for the New Jersey Devils of the NHL.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||
| 1993–94 | Kärpät | FIN U18 | 31 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1994–95 | Kärpät | FIN U18 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Kärpät | FIN U20 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Kärpät | FIN U20 | 24 | 19 | 13 | 32 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Kärpät | FIN-2 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Kärpät | FIN U20 | 25 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Kärpät | FIN-2 | 36 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1997–98 | Kärpät | FIN U20 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Kärpät | FIN-2 | 32 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Kärpät | FIN-2 | 47 | 26 | 26 | 52 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1999–00 | Blues | FIN | 51 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Blues | FIN | 54 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Tappara | FIN | 49 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 30 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Tappara | FIN | 56 | 23 | 14 | 37 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 57 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Lukko | FIN | 47 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Blues | FIN | 44 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 43 | 17 | 26 | 43 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 52 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 74 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 2008–09 | Atlant Moscow Oblast | KHL | 51 | 22 | 28 | 50 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Jokerit | FIN | 58 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Jokerit | FIN | 39 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 57 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | EV Zug | NLA | 29 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | ||
| 2012–13 | AIK | SEL | 45 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | AIK | SHL | 43 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Kärpät | FIN | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2014–15 | Kärpät | FIN | 46 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 30 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 10 | ||
| 2015–16 | Kärpät | FIN | 45 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | ||
| FIN totals | 500 | 129 | 178 | 307 | 299 | 97 | 25 | 34 | 59 | 32 | ||||
| NHL totals | 57 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Finland | WJC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | Finland | WC | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2004 | Finland | WC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2006 | Finland | WC | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2008 | Finland | WC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Junior totals | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Senior totals | 25 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | ||||