Junior Erik Haula started playing ice hockey at his local club
HC Ässät Pori. During the 2006–07 season, Haula scored 43 points in 29 games for Ässät U18. The following season he played with the Ässät U20 team in the
U20 SM-sarja, scoring 22 points in 40 games. Ässät lost the finals of the U20 SM-sarja to
KalPa. Haula did not get playing time in Ässät's
SM-liiga lineup.
Amateur Haula played the 2008–09 hockey season with
Shattuck-Saint Mary's in
Faribault,
Minnesota. There he tallied 24 goals and 55 assists for 79 points in 49 games played. In March 2009, Haula committed to the
University of Minnesota. He would be only the second player born outside of
North America to play for the
Gophers, following future Wild teammate
Thomas Vanek of
Austria. After leaving the USHL, Haula totaled 42 goals, 82 assists and 124 points in 114 games during three seasons of
college ice hockey with the Gophers. He then decided to forgo his senior year and final season of eligibility to sign professionally with the Wild.
Professional Minnesota Wild On 7 April 2013, the
Minnesota Wild signed Haula to an entry-level contract. During the
2013–14 season on 29 November 2013, the Wild recalled Haula from the
Iowa Wild of the
American Hockey League (AHL) to make his NHL debut, where he scored first NHL point, an assist, and he was named the game's third star in a 3–1 loss to the
Colorado Avalanche. On 9 December, Haula was reassigned to Iowa. In his return to Minnesota, on 18 January 2014, Haula scored his first career NHL goal against the
Dallas Stars in the first period. During
2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored four goals and three assists in 13 playoff games. Following the
2014–15 NHL season Haula became a restricted free agent under the
NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Minnesota Wild made him a
qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights and, on 27 July 2015, Haula filed for Salary Arbitration. The
2015–16 season saw a breakout year for Haula, as he set NHL personal bests in goals, assists, and points, more than doubling his previous highs in all three categories. He centered Minnesota's third line with
Nino Niederreiter and
Jason Pominville, quickly becoming Minnesota's most effective line offensively as well as acting as a shutdown line against the league's best.
Vegas Golden Knights At the completion of his fourth season with the Wild in
2016–17, as a restricted free agent Haula was left exposed for the
2017 NHL Expansion Draft. After agreeing to a three-year, $8.25 million deal with the
Vegas Golden Knights, Haula was Minnesota's required selection for the draft on 21 June 2017. In exchange for selecting Haula, the Knights received prospect
Alex Tuch and sent a conditional third-round pick in 2018 to the Wild. When speaking of his new team, Haula said: "Nothing has happened [in Vegas] before. Everything is new. It's a great opportunity for everybody, so you just start building from there...I'm really excited for this opportunity in my career." However, on 14 October, Haula suffered a lower-body injury and was expected to miss at least one week. After missing four games, he returned to the Golden Knights lineup on 27 October for a contest against the
Colorado Avalanche. Upon returning to the Golden Knights, Haula was moved around the lineup and centered a line between
David Perron and
James Neal, resulting in an increased output. During the month of December, Haula and teammate
William Karlsson each recorded seven goals, which tied for the eighth-most in the league. On 1 February, Haula scored a goal to help the Golden Knights set a record for most wins by an NHL team in its inaugural season. He ended the regular season with a career-high 29 goals for 55 points through 76 games. Following his career-high regular season, Haula and the Golden Knights faced off against the
Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the
2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. During Game 1, Haula ended the longest game in the franchise's history by scoring the second overtime game winning goal to give the Golden Knights a 2–1 win over the Kings. The Golden Knights eventually swept the Kings in four games to qualify for the second round. During Game 1 against the
San Jose Sharks, Haula,
Cody Eakin, and
Jonathan Marchessault all scored goals within 1:31 of each other in the first period. The Golden Knights eventually beat the Sharks in six games to advance to the Western Conference Final, where they beat the
Winnipeg Jets in five games. Haula returned to the Golden Knights for the
2018–19 season without his previous linemates, Perron and Neal. As a result, Haula was moved to the wing position on the teams' second line with
Max Pacioretty and center
Paul Stastny. While playing on this line, he sustained a right leg injury when he was hit by
Toronto Maple Leafs forward
Patrick Marleau and was expected to miss three games. At the time of the injury, Haula had recorded two goals and five assists in 15 games. However, it was later revealed he would need a few months to recover and was placed on injured reserve. In December 2018, Haula underwent surgery on his right knee. Haula then started the
2019–20 season with eight points through nine games and was praised by teammate
Jordan Martinook as being a "perfect fit". By November, Haula had tallied 11 points in 16 games to place fourth on the Hurricanes in goals before missing four games with a lower body injury. Upon returning to the lineup, he centered
Brock McGinn and
Brian Gibbons on the team's fourth line. He returned for two games before being named out indefinitely on 18 November due to a knee injury.
Florida Panthers As an impending free agent, Haula was dealt at the NHL trade deadline by the Hurricanes along with
Lucas Wallmark,
Eetu Luostarinen and
Chase Priskie to the
Florida Panthers in exchange for
Vincent Trocheck on 24 February 2020.
Nashville Predators On 23 December 2020, approaching the delayed
2020–21 season, Haula signed as a free agent with the
Nashville Predators, agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million contract. He recorded 9 goals and 21 points in 51 games of the shortened season.
Boston Bruins As a free agent at the conclusion of his contract with the Predators, Haula was signed to a two-year, $4.75 million contract with the
Boston Bruins on 28 July 2021. During training and camp and the pre-season, Haula centered a line with
Jake DeBrusk and
Nick Foligno. On 13 November 2021, Haula scored his first Bruins goal, as part of a road game 5–2 Bruins win against the
New Jersey Devils. Despite a slow start, Haula would finish the season with 18 goals and 44 points in 78 games, his best totals since 2017-18.
New Jersey Devils On 13 July 2022, Haula was traded to the
New Jersey Devils in exchange for
Pavel Zacha. On 23 June 2023, he signed a three-year, $9.45 million extension with the Devils.
Return to Nashville On 18 June 2025, Haula was traded back to the Predators in exchange for
Jeremy Hanzel and a 4th-round pick in
2025. ==International play==