# Joe Pavelski
**Joe Pavelski** (born 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played 18 seasons in the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league), 13 with the [San Jose Sharks](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-jose-sharks) and five with the [Dallas Stars](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-stars), and retired in 2024 with 1,068 points (476 goals, 592 assists) in 1,332 regular-season games.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) A native of Plover, Wisconsin, he was selected 205th overall in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Draft, a draft position he overcame to become one of the highest-scoring American players in league history.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) • [2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Career totals | 1,068 points (476-592) in 1,332 regular-season games; 74 goals and 143 points in 201 playoff games[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) |
| Draft | Seventh round, 205th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in 2003; one of just five skaters in NHL history to pass 1,000 points after being drafted in the seventh round or later[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) • [2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992) |
| U.S.-born records | Leads all U.S.-born players in playoff goals (74), playoff power-play goals (30), and playoff game-winning goals (18); fifth in career goals and points[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) |
| Stanley Cup Final | Reached the Final twice without winning the Cup, with San Jose in 2016 and Dallas in 2020; his 201 playoff games are the most in NHL history without a championship[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-pavelski-retires-from-nhl) • [4](https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/most-career-nhl-playoff-games-without-a-championship-by-a-player) |
| International play | Two Olympics (2010, 2014) with a 2010 silver medal; 2009 IIHF World Championship; captain of Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) |
| Signature skill | Net-front deflections, with over a third of his scoring chances coming off tips[5](https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/joe-pavelski-nhls-best-net-front-man/) |
| Post-playing roles | U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductee; Director of Player Development for Wisconsin men's hockey[2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992) • [6](https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-pavelski-silenced-doubters-on-way-to-usa-hockey-hall-of-fame) |
## San Jose Sharks, 2006–2019
Pavelski played 963 regular-season games for the Sharks and recorded 761 points (355 goals, 406 assists), ranking second in franchise history in goals, third in points, and fourth in assists.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) He posted 20 or more goals in 10 of 11 seasons from 2008-2019, missing the mark only in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season (16 goals in 48 games), and set a career-high at the time with 41 goals in 2013-14.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224)
**Captaincy and playoff runs.** Pavelski served as the Sharks' captain for his final four seasons, from 2015-16 through 2018-19, and represented the club at three NHL All-Star Games (2016, 2017, 2019).[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) San Jose reached the playoffs in 12 of his 13 seasons, including four Western Conference Final appearances (2010, 2011, 2016, 2019) and a run to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, lost to the [Pittsburgh Penguins](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-penguins) in six games.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) • [3](https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-pavelski-retires-from-nhl) In 134 postseason games with San Jose he recorded 100 points (48-52), sharing second in franchise playoff goals and ranking fourth in playoff points.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) During the 2016 playoff run he led the NHL with 14 goals.[2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992)
## Dallas Stars, 2019–2024
Pavelski signed with Dallas as a free agent on July 1, 2019, and in his first season helped the Stars reach the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the [Tampa Bay Lightning](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay-lightning) in six games; his 13 goals in 27 playoff games that year were one shy of the league lead.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) • [2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992) In 369 regular-season games with Dallas he tallied 307 points (121-186), leading Stars skaters in assists and ranking second in points, and he led the team in points in consecutive seasons from 2020-22, including a career-high 81 points (27-54) in 2021-22 at age 37.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) He was named Central Division captain for the 2022 All-Star Weekend, his fourth All-Star appearance and first as a Star.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224)
In his final season, 2023-24, he recorded 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) in 82 games but produced four points in 19 playoff games as Dallas lost to the [Edmonton Oilers](https://www.edgepedia.org/edmonton-oilers) in the Western Conference Final in six games.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-pavelski-retires-from-nhl) In Game 5 of that series he skated his 200th career postseason game, becoming only the second U.S.-born player to reach the mark.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) He announced his retirement on July 22, 2024, at age 40.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) • [3](https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-pavelski-retires-from-nhl)
## Playing style
Pavelski built his career around net-front scoring. A [Sportsnet](https://www.edgepedia.org/sportsnet) analysis during the 2016 Stanley Cup Final found that no NHL player deflected pucks in the scoring-chance area at the rate he did, with more than a third of his total scoring chances coming off tips, and that 72.7 percent of his playoff point production to that point had come with the game within a goal in the first two periods or tied afterward.[5](https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/joe-pavelski-nhls-best-net-front-man/) His scoring held up late in his career: he recorded 25 or more goals in 12 of his 18 seasons, the third most among U.S.-born skaters, and joined Johnny Bucyk, Wayne Gretzky, and [Maurice Richard](https://www.edgepedia.org/maurice-richard) as the only players with multiple playoff hat tricks after turning 35.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) • [7](https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/is-joe-pavelski-the-greatest-old-man-playoff-performer-ever)
## Career records and legacy
Pavelski finished his career ranked fifth among U.S.-born players in goals (476) and points (1,068) and 11th in assists (592), with third place in career power-play goals (176), a share of fifth in game-winning goals (75), and seventh in plus-minus rating (+201).[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) Among American-born skaters, no one has more playoff goals (74), power-play goals (30), or game-winning goals (18) than him, while his point total (74-69) places him third and his 69 assists tie him for seventh.[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) He is also the all-time points leader among Wisconsin Badgers alumni in the NHL.[2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992)
**The Cup that got away.** Pavelski reached the Stanley Cup Final twice, in 2016 with San Jose and 2020 with Dallas, without winning a championship, and his 201 career playoff games are the most in NHL history by a player with zero championships.[4](https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/most-career-nhl-playoff-games-without-a-championship-by-a-player)
## International play and honors
Pavelski represented the United States at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games, winning a silver medal in 2010, appeared at the 2009 IIHF World Championship, and captained Team USA at the 2016 [World Cup of Hockey](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-cup-of-hockey).[1](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224) He was inducted into the U.S. [Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/hockey-hall-of-fame) in a 2025 class that also included [Zach Parise](https://www.edgepedia.org/zach-parise), Scott Gomez, Tara Mounsey, and Bruce Bennett.[6](https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-pavelski-silenced-doubters-on-way-to-usa-hockey-hall-of-fame) • [8](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2025-26/2025-26KeyDates.pdf)
Before the NHL, he was the leading scorer for Wisconsin's 2006 NCAA championship team and an All-American, after winning a Wisconsin state title with Stevens Point Area High School and a Clark Cup with the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks.[2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992) After retiring he returned to the university as Director of Player Development for the men's hockey program.[2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992) Off the ice he won the 2025 American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at [Lake Tahoe](https://www.edgepedia.org/lake-tahoe) and the celebrity division of the 2025 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando.[2](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992)
## References
1. [Forward Joe Pavelski announces retirement after 18 seasons, Dallas Stars (July 22, 2024)](https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/forward-joe-pavelski-announces-retirement-after-18-seasons-072224)
2. [Joe Pavelski, Men's Hockey Coach, Wisconsin Badgers](https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/joe-pavelski/2992)
3. [Pavelski retires from NHL after 18 seasons, NHL.com (July 22, 2024)](https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-pavelski-retires-from-nhl)
4. [Most Career NHL Playoff Games Without A Championship By A Player, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/most-career-nhl-playoff-games-without-a-championship-by-a-player)
5. [Joe Pavelski: The NHL's best net-front man, Sportsnet (May 28, 2016)](https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/joe-pavelski-nhls-best-net-front-man/)
6. [Pavelski silenced all doubters on road to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/joe-pavelski-silenced-doubters-on-way-to-usa-hockey-hall-of-fame)
7. [Is Joe Pavelski the greatest 'Old Man' playoff performer ever?, Daily Faceoff](https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/is-joe-pavelski-the-greatest-old-man-playoff-performer-ever)
8. [2025-26 NHL Key Dates, NHL Media](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2025-26/2025-26KeyDates.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Ice hockey players and personnel › Centers › Active NHL-era centers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license