He was named Minnesota Mr. Hockey in 1986 as the top high-school player in the state and was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.
He was also an all-state football linebacker, recruited to play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association by Notre Dame, Penn State and Minnesota.
[1] As a hockey player, Pelawa set new records at Bemidji High for goals and points, leading the school to the state championship tournament in his junior and senior years.
[2] His nicknames in hockey were "Ice Box" and "The Great White Shark", and at 245 pounds, would have been the biggest player in NHL history if he had played at the time he was drafted.
[4] Shortly after moving into his dorm at North Dakota, Pelawa had returned to Bemidji and was visiting with family and friends on the night of August 30, 1986.