The 5-foot-11, 190-pound native of Plover, Wisconsin was originally selected by San Jose in the seventh round (205th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft, and becomes the 13th member of the 2003 draft class to appear in 1,000 regular-season games. He is only the ninth player in NHL history to be selected in the seventh round that reached 1,000 games played, and amongst seventh-rounders, he is second in goals (362) and fourth in points (776). Additionally, he is just the 25th player drafted in the seventh round or later to have played in 1,000 NHL games. Among all active NHL players entering play today, he is 8th in power play goals (124), tied for 11th in game-winning goals (62), 13th in goals (362), 18th in points (776) and 19th plus/minus (+110).
Over the course of his 14-season career, Pavelski has scored at least 20 goals in a season ten times, he has topped 30 goals five times and he has eclipsed 40 goals in a season once in 2013-14. He is one of just eight players to have reached the 20-goal mark at least 10 times since 2008-09. He is one of only six players to have reached the 30-goal mark at least five times since the 2011-12 season.
He represented the Sharks at the NHL All-Star Game in 2016, 2017 and 2019, and was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 2013-14. He has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 12 of his 13 completed NHL seasons, registering 100 points (48-52=100) in 134 career postseason contests. Among active players, he is tied for sixth in postseason goals (48), ranks 14th in points (100) and shares 14th in postseason games played (134). Pavelski helped the Sharks to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, finishing the 2016 postseason ranking first in the NHL with 14 goals and third with 23 points (14-9=23) in 24 contests.
Pavelski has represented the United States four times at the international level. He most recently served as captain for Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey where he recorded two points (1-1=2) in three contests. Pavelski has skated for his country in two Winter Olympics (2010, 2014) and helped the United States capture a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Previous to his experience as a professional, he won championships at the USHL level with Waterloo and the NCAA level with Wisconsin.
