Player Profile: Joe Pavelski

If you’ve been following my work, you probably know that I’d like to see Joe Pavelski become a captain again. Although it’s highly unlikely due to Paveski’s age and current contract, I continue to hold a deep respect for him. As a former San Jose Sharks beat reporter for Inside Hockey from 2016-17, I’ve covered the Sharks’ postseason journey to the Stanley Cup Final when Pavelski, the Sharks’ captain from 2015-19 and ninth Sharks captain in franchise history and then-Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer, who served from 2015-19, were in San Jose, California. With that being said, here’s my player profile about Pavelski, also known as “Captain America,” for his nomination as the captain of Team USA for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Joe Pavelski (born Joseph James Pavelski in Plover, Wisconsin, on July 11, 1984) is an alternate captain and a forward (center and right-wing) for the Dallas Stars. Pavelski, now 39, has been playing for the Stars since 2019 and played for the Sharks from 2006-2019. He was a fan favorite in San Jose, Calif., where he was named to the Second NHL All-Star Team in 2014  and made the NHL All-Star Teams in 2016, 2017, and 2019. He became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Stars on July 1, 2019.

So far in Dallas, Texas, Pavelski made the 2022 NHL All-Star Team and joined the 1,000-point club while putting the Stars up 5-0 in less than 24 minutes into the road game against the Detroit Red Wings on April 10, 2023. The Stars defeated the Red Wings 6-1. 

Pavelski, a Plover, Wis. native, comes from a family with Polish roots. His parents are Sandy and Mike Pavelski, and his three siblings are Jerry, Sherri, and Scott Pavelski. His family’s surname was originally spelled Pawelski, and Scott played college men’s ice hockey at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., but never played professionally. 

Before being selected with the 205th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL Draft, Pavelski attended Stevens Point Area Senior High School in Stevens Point, Wis., and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wis. He won a Wisconsin State Hockey Championship with the SPASH Panthers in 2002 and was named the Wisconsin Badgers men’s ice hockey team’s All-AHCA West Second-Team All-American in 2005-06. He also played for the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks in Waterloo, Iowa, where he was a member of the 2004 Clark Cup champion team and was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team in 2004-05 and the All-WCHA Second Team in 2005-06. 

During his college years at Wisconsin-Madison, Pavelski served as the captain of the Badgers men’s ice hockey team. Pavelski was also a top-line center around that time.

Off the ice, Joe Pavelski is married to his wife, Sarah Pavelski. The couple met in Iowa and eventually tied the knot in 2008. Since then, they’ve welcomed a son, Nathan Joseph Pavelski, in 2010. Like his father, Nathan has already set foot on the ice. We’ll see if Nathan will become an NHL star in the future. But until then, we’ll enjoy the pictures and videos posted of him on social media.

If you’re interested in golf, you probably know that Pavelski loves the game of golf. Pavelski began playing golf in his younger days in the state of Wisconsin — and currently participates in the annual American Century Championship.

Is Pavelski your favorite captain in the NHL? Let me know in the comments!

ITR 35: Round One – Inside The Rink

Join Chris and Conrad as they catch you up on round one of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as all of the firings across the NHL.

1. ITR 35: Round One 52:27
2. ITR 34: End Of The Road 41:46
3. ITR 33: The Gr8 One 44:20
4. ITR 32: The Final Countdown 45:55
5. ITR 31: Let Them Fight 01:03:52