 Pavelski began his NHL career in the 2006–07 season.He began on a hot streak, scoring a goal in his first game, and scoring 7 goals and 10 points in his first 12 games.Pavelski earned the sobriquet "Little Joe" from Sharks announcer Randy Hahn, a reference to Pavelski's teammate and San Jose superstar "Jumbo Joe", Joe Thornton.