The 20-year-old Rod spent 2016-17 with Genève-Servette of the National League A (NLA), Switzerland's top professional hockey league. He posted five goals, nine assists, 22 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating in just 27 games played. One of the youngest players on his team, he finished the season T-10th on the team in points, and posted one goal in two Swiss Cup games.
In 137 career games in the NLA from 2013-17, Rod recorded 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) and 64 penalty minutes as one of the youngest players in the league each season.
He has represented his country of Switzerland in several international tournaments, including the World Jr. Championships (2016, 2015) and World Jr. U-18 Championships (2014), serving as the team's alternate captain in 2016 and 2014. In his World Jr. career, Rod has recorded 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in 12 games, and was named one of Switzerland's Top-3 Players in both 2015 and 2016, where he was teammates with fellow Sharks prospects Timo Meier and Mirco Mueller (2015).
The six-foot, 200-pound native of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, was selected by San Jose in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.
