Sean Avery and his model wife, Hilary Rhoda, are headed toward splitsville ... she just filed for divorce from the ex-NHL player, TMZ Sports has learned.
Rhoda, who's made multiple appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, filed the court docs in Los Angeles this week ... citing "irreconcilable differences."
The two -- who got married back in 2015 -- officially separated just days ago on July 17, according to the court docs.
Rhoda -- who has one 2-year-old child with Avery -- wants physical custody of their son but checked the box to share legal custody with Sean.
She also indicated the couple signed a prenuptial agreement.
42-year-old Avery -- who played 10 seasons in the NHL before retiring in 2012 -- had shown no signs of trouble brewing in his relationship with Rhoda ... in fact, back in April, he penned a sweet birthday message to her on his social media page.
"Happy Birthday to the most beautiful woman in the world who continues to evolve as a creative and, more importantly, an incredible mother," he wrote.
We've reached out to Avery, as well as Rhoda's attorney, for comment, but so far, no word back yet.