Paek was the first player of Korean descent to play hockey in the NHL. Paek was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the ninth round, 170th overall, in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. Before joining the NHL in 1990–91, he played three seasons for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL and three seasons with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the IHL. Paek also played 48 games for the Canadian National Team in 1990–91. Paek's NHL career began with the Penguins in 1990–91. Upon entering the league, he became the first Korean-born hockey player to ever play in the NHL and since he was part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup run of 1990–91, he became the first player of Korean descent to have his name engraved on the Cup. His Penguins sweater now hangs in the Hockey Hall of Fame honouring this feat. After four seasons and two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, Paek was traded mid-season to the Los Angeles Kings in 1993–94 as part of the deal that brought Tomas Sandström to the Penguins. After only 18 regular season games as a King, he moved on, signing with the Ottawa Senators for the 1994–95 NHL season. After only 29 games with the Ottawa Senators in 1994–95, he left the NHL and began play in the International Hockey League. In the IHL, he played for the Houston Aeros, winning the league championship Turner Cup in 1999, Minnesota Moose, Manitoba Moose, and Cleveland Lumberjacks. His next stop was Great Britain, where he joined the Nottingham Panthers of the British Ice Hockey Superleague. With the exception of 40 games in 2001–02 with the Anchorage Aces of the West Coast Hockey League, he played out the rest of his career with the Panthers, retiring after the 2002–03 season. In five NHL seasons, Paek played 217 regular season games, recording five goals, and 29 assists. He also racked up 155 penalty minutes. Paek played in 27 playoff games, recording one goal, four assists, and eight penalty minutes.
Coaching career
Early career
After retiring from play, Paek coached the Orlando Seals of the World Hockey Association 2, guiding the club to a 27–25–5 in 2003–04, and coaching in the league's all-star game. In 2004, Paek served as an assistant coach for the St. Edward High School, leading the team to an Ohio state championship. While coaching at St. Edward, he also served as a co-coach of the Cleveland Panthers bantam minor squad, leading them to an Eastern Elite Amateur Hockey League title.
On 11 August, 2005, Paek was named the assistant head coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. Paek helped guide the Griffins to their first Calder Cup in 2013, the American Hockey League's regular season championship in 2005-06, and a cumulative record of 357–272–33–46 during his nine seasons. Paek was the longest-tenured coach in franchise history, having served as the assistant coach for nine seasons.
International career
On July 23, 2014, it was announced that Paek accepted a position as the director of hockey for the Korea Ice Hockey Association, and head coach of the South Korean national team. Under Paek's leadership, South Korea earned its first-ever Olympic hockey qualification to the 2018 Winter Olympics, held on home soil in Pyeongchang.
