Joe Jensen

Joseph Paul Jensen
Born	(1983-02-06) February 6, 1983 Maple Grove, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation	Retired professional ice hockey center
Years active	2006–2014
Known for	Playing in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes

Joseph Paul Jensen (born February 6, 1983) is a retired American professional ice hockey center who appeared in six games for the Carolina Hurricanes during his tenure in the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Jensen was competing at the collegiate level with St. Cloud State University in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association at the time. He transitioned to a professional career in 2006, splitting his season between 26 contests with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and 28 games with the Wheeling Nailers, Pittsburgh’s affiliate team in the ECHL. On January 31, 2008, Jensen was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for David Gove. He netted his inaugural NHL goal during his third appearance for Carolina on March 19, 2008, against goaltender Johan Hedberg of the Atlanta Thrashers. That season, Jensen totaled six games played with the Hurricanes.

Following a year away from professional ice hockey, Jensen took his career overseas, spending three seasons competing in Italy’s Serie A league with HC Pustertal Wölfe. In October 2013, he joined the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League on a short-term deal but chose to retire midway through the season on January 8, 2014.

Personal life

Jensen comes from a family with strong hockey ties; he is the nephew of former NHL player David Jensen and the son of Paul Jensen, who represented the United States at the 1976 Winter Olympics in ice hockey. Additionally, he is related to NHL player Nick Jensen, who is his cousin.