"Jaycob is a reliable player that defends well. He is a high-character person that was recently recognized by Team USA and will be playing for his country at the World Championship," said Will.
Megna, 29, was recalled from the San Jose Barracuda on Oct. 30 and became a regular presence on the Sharks blueline for the remainder of the season. In 44 games with the Sharks, Megna recorded eight points (two goals, six assists) and 16 penalty minutes. He set NHL career highs in nearly every category, including goals, assists, points, shots (40), hits (71), blocked shots (92), takeaways (18) and time-on-ice per game (19:07). Megna matched his career high with a plus-3 rating in his second NHL game of the season on Nov. 2 against Buffalo, scored his first goal of the season on Jan. 22 against Tampa Bay, logged a career-high 24:37 on Jan. 30 at Carolina, and registered his first career multi-assist game on April 24 at Vegas. In the month of April, Megna notched six points (one goal, five assists) in 14 games, placing him second in scoring among Sharks defensemen for the month.
In 22 games with the Barracuda, he posted 10 points (two goals, eight assists) while serving as team captain for the second consecutive season.
Last season, Megna played in 36 games with the Barracuda and served as team captain, posting eight points (two goals, six assists). He finished tied for first on the team in plus-minus (plus-8), fifth in shots (55) and tied-fifth in game-winning goals (one). At the end of the season, Megna was named the team's John McCarthy Leadership Award recipient, which is presented annually to the player who displays incredible leadership qualities on the ice, amongst his teammates and within the community, through his preparation, hard work, character and inclusivity.
Megna has played 87 career NHL games between San Jose and Anaheim, notching 13 points (three goals, 10 assists), 30 penalty minutes and 78 shots. Additionally, the defenseman has appeared in 368 AHL games with San Jose (58), Chicago (60), San Diego (216) and Norfolk (34), recording 97 points (17 goals, 80 assists) and earning a plus-81 rating. He has served as team captain in three of the last four seasons at the AHL level for two different clubs (San Diego, 2018-19; San Jose, 2020-22), while also serving as an alternate captain with the Chicago Wolves in 2019-20.
On May 5, Megna was selected to represent the United States at the 2022 IIHF Men's World Championship. This will be the defenseman's first time representing Team USA.
The six-foot-six, 220-pound defenseman was originally selected by Anaheim in the 2012 NHL Draft (seventh round, 210th overall). He was signed by San Jose as an unrestricted free agent on July 28, 2021.
