The son of legendary San Jose Sharks forward Joe Pavelski, Nathan Pavelski, has been drafted by the Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers in the ninth round of the OHL Priority Selection.
Nathan, who played under his father with the Madison Capitols U15 AAA team this past season, is also a San Jose native and former member of the San Jose Jr. Sharks program. With the Capitols, he scored 27 goals and 69 points in 59 games. He also competed in the OHL Cup, where he maintained a point-per-game pace with five points in five games against high-end competition in his age bracket.
"He can hang onto pucks for an extra second when necessary or one-touch it along to the correct read. There’s timing, puck support, route running, and all the signs of a calculated player for his age," Elite Prospects scout Whittaker Heart said of Pavelski back in November. "The biggest concern with him will be the skating and his feet. At this age, I’d put a lot more stock in the mental attributes and expect the physical development to come along. Pavelski is a strong junior and NCAA prospect."
The younger Pavelski now has quite a few options for where he can play next season, as he was previously selected by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL Futures Draft and the Janesville Jets in the NAHL Futures Draft.
The Rangers do present an interesting opportunity for Pavelski, especially considering his father has been linked to the head coaching vacancy in Toronto, just over an hour away from Kitchener.