FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Stars and Joe Pavelski announced today the forward’s retirement from the National Hockey League after 18 seasons.

In his career, Joe Pavelski, who is now 40 years old, has recorded a total of 1,068 points (476 goals and 592 assists) in 1,332 regular-season games. He spent five seasons with the Dallas Stars and 13 seasons with the San Jose Sharks. Pavelski joined the Dallas Stars as a free agent on July 1, 2019.

During his time with the Stars, Pavelski played in 369 regular-season games and scored a total of 307 points (121 goals and 186 assists). He was a key player for the team, leading in assists with 186 and ranking second in points with 307. He also ranked third in goals with 121.

Pavelski had an impressive streak with the Stars, leading the team in points for consecutive seasons from 2020 to 2022. In the 2021-2022 season, at the age of 37, he achieved a career-high of 81 points (27 goals and 54 assists).

His outstanding performance earned him the honor of being named the Central Division captain for the 2022 All-Star Weekend. This marked his fourth NHL All-Star appearance and his first representing the Dallas Stars.

“The standard of excellence that Joe brought with him to the rink every day has left a lasting impact on our organization,” said Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill. “From his leadership in the locker room, practice habits, mentoring of young players and continually desiring to improve his game, our success as a team over the last five seasons has Joe’s fingerprints all over it. Throughout his entire career, he’s proven that he’s one of the best to ever play the game, and his extensive resume speaks for itself. We want to congratulate him on a tremendous career and look forward to what the next chapter holds for Joe, Sarah and Nate.”

Pavelski made appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs during four out of his five seasons with the Stars. He reached the Western Conference Final three times (in 2020, 2023, and 2024) and once made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. Throughout his 67 postseason games with Dallas, he achieved an impressive 43 points, with 26 goals and 17 assists.

Throughout his time with the Sharks, he achieved an impressive total of 761 points (355 goals and 406 assists) in 963 games. In the history of the Sharks franchise, he holds the second position for goals scored (355), third for overall points (355 goals and 406 assists), and fourth for assists (406). Additionally, he ranks second in power-play goals (121), game-winning goals (60), and plus/minus rating (+108), while also claiming the third spot in power-play points (278). Remarkably, he managed to score 20 or more goals in 10 out of 11 seasons, starting from 2008 until 2019. The only exception was the lockout-shortened season in 2012-13, where he scored 16 goals in 48 games. However, he reached his career-high of 41 goals in the 2013-14 season.

During Pavelski’s 13 seasons with the club, San Jose participated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 12 of those seasons. This included four appearances in the Western Conference Final in 2010, 2011, 2016, and 2019, as well as a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. Pavelski holds the second-highest number of goals (48) and third-highest number of assists (52) in Sharks playoff history, ranking fourth in overall points (48-52—100). Additionally, he holds the second-highest number of power-play goals (22) and game-winning goals (12), and shares second place in power-play points (22-20—42) in his 134 postseason games with San Jose.

From 2015 to 2019, Pavelski held the role of captain for the Sharks, leading the team for four seasons. He also proudly represented the club at the NHL All-Star Game on three occasions: in 2016, 2017, and 2019.

Pavelski’s career achievements place him in impressive rankings among U.S.-born players. He secured the fifth spot in goals with 476 and points with 1,068. Additionally, he claimed the 11th position in assists with 592. In terms of power-play goals, he stands third with 176, ties for fifth in game-winning goals with 75, and ranks seventh in plus-minus rating with +201. Throughout his 18 seasons, Pavelski managed to score 25 goals or more in 12 of them, which places him third among U.S.-born skaters. In the postseason, he leads all U.S.-born players in goals with 74, power-play goals with 30, and game-winning goals with 18. He also ranks third in points with 143 and ties for seventh in assists with 69. Notably, Pavelski reached his 200th career postseason game during Game 5 of the 2024 Western Conference Final against Edmonton, making him only the second U.S.-born player to achieve this milestone.

He proudly represented the United States in two consecutive Olympic games (2010, 2014) at the global level, contributing to Team USA’s accomplishment of securing a silver medal in 2010. Additionally, he participated in the 2009 IIHF World Championship and assumed the role of team captain for Team USA during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

In the 2003 NHL Draft, the forward, standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing 196 pounds, was chosen by San Jose in the seventh round as the 205th overall pick.