Amateur Parise played midget AAA hockey for four seasons for the
Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres in
Faribault, Minnesota, where his father
J. P. worked in the hockey program. During his final two years (2000–01 and 2001–02) at Shattuck-St. Mary's, he scored 146 goals and 194 assists in 125 games. While playing for the Sabres, Parise twice participated in the Mac's AAA Hockey Tournament held in
Calgary,
Alberta. In 2000 and 2001, Parise was named the tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) as well as being named to the tournament All-Star Team. He was the top scorer at the 2001 tournament. Parise played
NCAA hockey for the Fighting Sioux at the
University of North Dakota (UND) starting with the 2002–03 season. In his first game with UND, Parise scored three goals, becoming only the second freshman to record a
hat-trick since 1988. During his freshman season at UND, Parise led the NCAA in rookie scoring (26 goals and 35 assists), and finished eighth in the national scoring race. NHL teams had concerns about his size, but were impressed by his skill and work ethic. At the Draft, the
New Jersey Devils traded to obtain the 17th overall pick from the
Edmonton Oilers and used it to select Parise. Parise returned to UND for his sophomore season after being drafted. Along with teammates
Brandon Bochenski,
Matt Smaby and
Drew Stafford, Parise helped the University of North Dakota to the
MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA Regular Season Champions. Parise was named a First Team All-American after the season. Due to the
2004–05 NHL lockout, Parise spent his first professional season in the
American Hockey League (AHL) with the
Albany River Rats. For the season, he nearly doubled his scoring output of the previous season, totaling 62 points. Parise was chosen to play in the
NHL YoungStars Game during the All-Star weekend, where he scored two goals and four assists and was named the game's MVP. On October 3, 2008, Parise was named an
alternate captain for the Devils. He had a breakout season during his
fourth year in the NHL, which saw the Devils increase their scoring output by nearly half a goal per game, breaking away from the team's image as a mostly defensive team. While playing in all 82 games, Parise scored 45 goals and added 49 assists for 94 points. During the season, Parise was selected to represent the
Eastern Conference at the
2009 All-Star Game. He was also chosen to the NHL's Second All-Star Team, , February 2009 During the
2009–10 season, Parise played in 81 games for the Devils, finishing with 38 goals and 44 assists. During the playoffs, Parise and the Devils were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals by the
Philadelphia Flyers in five games. Parise scored one goal and added three assists in the five playoff games. On October 5, 2011, the Devils named him captain. Parise became the second captain in Devils history (the other being
Scott Stevens) to lead them to the
Stanley Cup Final. The Devils were down 0–3 in the series before finally losing in six games at the hands of the
Los Angeles Kings.
Minnesota Wild (2012–2021) On July 4, 2012, Parise left the Devils' organization to sign with his hometown
Minnesota Wild. Parise noted that his parents played a role in him signing with the Wild, stating "When I made the decision they were real excited as well. That played a big part. I grew up here, I love coming back here in the summers and I thought 'We enjoy it here so much it would be great to be here year round.'" Parise's father,
J.P., once captained the
Minnesota North Stars. The Wild signed Parise, as well as fellow free agent
Ryan Suter, to identical 13-year, $98 million contracts. Parise chose to wear No. 11, the same number his father wore as a North Star; Parise's No. 9 he wore with the Devils was already worn by team captain
Mikko Koivu. On July 9, both Parise and Suter were named alternate captains. Parise scored 18 goals along with 20 assists during the
lockout-shortened
2012–13 season. The Wild qualified for the
Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in five years as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The team lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion
Chicago Blackhawks in five games in the opening round; Parise scored one goal during the series. On March 20, 2014, Parise returned to the
Prudential Center for the first time since leaving the Devils during the 2012 off-season. Parise was booed every time he skated with the puck, especially when his name was announced for a goal. The Wild ended up losing the game 4–3 in overtime. On November 6, 2014, it was announced that Parise was out "indefinitely" due to a concussion he suffered two days earlier during a 4–1 loss to the
Pittsburgh Penguins. Five games later, on November 16, he returned to the Wild lineup. He finished the season with 62 points. The 2015–16 season brought a host of struggles for Parise, who struggled through a sprained MCL at the beginning of the season, before injuring his back near the end of the season. In a game against the San Jose Sharks, Parise sustained a hit from
Logan Couture that further aggravated the injury, taking him out for the rest of the season and the Wild's short playoff run. Even with the injuries, Parise led the team in goals and was second in points. He also led the NHL with a total of three hat tricks on the season. On October 23, 2016, Parise scored 2 goals to earn his 300th goal in his career, in a loss against the
New York Islanders. Parise played his
1,000th career NHL game on February 7, 2020, in an away game against the
Dallas Stars. On February 24, 2021, Parise scored his 800th NHL point in the Wild's 6–2 win over the
Colorado Avalanche. On July 13, 2021, the Wild bought out the remaining four years of Parise's contract.
New York Islanders (2021–2023) On September 10, 2021, Parise signed as a free agent to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the
New York Islanders. In reuniting with general manager
Lou Lamoriello, who drafted him during their tenure with the Devils, Parise followed his father's footsteps in joining the Islanders after a long tenure with Minnesota. Projected to be utilised in a top nine forward role, Parise made his Islanders debut to open the
2021–22 season on October 14, 2021, against the
Carolina Hurricanes. Off to a slow start offensively, Parise waited until his 23rd appearance to notch his first goal with the Islanders against the Devils, registering the game-winning goal in a 4–2 victory on December 11. He registered his 400th career goal in a 4–3 shootout loss to the
San Jose Sharks on February 24, 2022. Adding a veteran presence, on March 21, Parise agreed to sign a one-year, $1.5 million contract extension with the team. He completed his first season with the Islanders, contributing with 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points through all 82 regular season games, yet unable to help propel the Islanders to a playoff berth for the first time in four years. In the following
2022–23 season, Parise continued to contribute offensively with the Islanders in a utility role, reaching 20 goals for the 11th time in his career, totalling 21 goals and 13 assists for 34 points, while never missing a game through his tenure with New York. Parise concluded his contract with the Islanders after going scoreless through six playoff games in a first-round series defeat by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Colorado Avalanche (2024) Sitting out the first half of the
2023–24 season as a free agent, on January 26, 2024, Parise signed a one-year, $825,000 contract with the
Colorado Avalanche. Approaching the end of the regular season, and with the Avalanche having qualified for the
2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Parise confirmed that he would retire from hockey at the conclusion of the Avalanche's playoff run. On May 17, Parise played his final game in the NHL, a 2–1 overtime loss to the
Dallas Stars in game six of the second round. ==International play==