Justin Papineau was born January 15, 1980 in Ottawa, Ontario. Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2nd round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Papineau re-entered the draft after both sides failed to agree upon a contract agreement.
Taking full advantage of the talented forward's availability were the St. Louis Blues who took Papineau with their 3rd choice, 75th overall selection in the 2000 Entry Draft. Although he's small in stature, Papineau makes up for it with his offensive upside.
A graduate of the Ontario Hockey League's Belleville Bulls, Papineau, a Second All-Rookie Team member in 1996-97, had seasons of 42, 94, 99 and 76 points in his four year career with the Bulls leading his team to the 1999 OHL championship while scoring 21 goals and adding 30 assists for 51 points in only 21 games earning him the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as playoff MVP in the OHL.
Following an impressive OHL career, Papineau joined the Blues AHL affiliate in Worcester in 2000-01. After he finished eleventh in team scoring during his rookie campaign with 29 points, Papineau had a 47 point improvement in his second season with the IceCats finishing with 76 points and earning his first game in the NHL later on that season. Papineau split the 2002-03 season between Worcester and the St. Louis Blues, before having his rights traded to the New Yorkd Islanders at the trading deadline. Upon his arrival with the Islanders organization, Papineau split the rest of the season between the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the parent club before becoming an NHL regular in 2003-04.
In the summer of 2006, Papineau was signed by the New Jersey Devils following parts of three seasons with the New York Islanders. He was sent to the club's AHL affiliate in Lowell for his 2006-07 season and spent most of his time as a health reserve. In the off-season, the Ottawa, Ontario native crossed the pond and signed as a free agent in Basel, Switzerland.
