Jaycob Megna woke up Jan. 3 in the worst possible situation, at least within the NHL. He went to sleep that night in the best possible situation, at least for him.
The Blackhawks’ decision to claim the 31-year-old defenseman off waivers from the Kraken rescued Megna from hockey purgatory, giving him a chance to resume doing what he loves — playing the game — rather than what he doesn’t — sitting idly in a suit in press boxes around the country.
“It’s one of those things where you don’t understand what’s going on in the moment but you’ve got to believe that you’re doing the right thing and that, eventually, the opportunity is going to come,” Megna said. “I’m just fortunate the opportunity was here. I’m getting a chance to live a dream that I didn’t know I’d ever have a chance to do.”
On the surface, it might be difficult to understand how being on this basement-dwelling Hawks team could represent a dream-come-true for a six-year NHL veteran. But this story requires context.
Although Megna was born outside Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and his parents now live there again, he spent most of his childhood in the Chicago suburbs. He came up through the local hockey pipeline, playing for the Chicago Mission and Team Illinois while attending 2œ years of high school — his freshman and junior years and the end of his senior year — at Glenbrook North.
“I don’t think my mom had any idea what to do with her children in the cold,” he said. “She was like, ‘Where do I take these kids? I can’t go outside!’ We ended up at an ice rink, and my sister figure-skated and my brother and I played hockey. [We] fell in love with it.”
As it often does, Megna’s hockey career then took him all over the continent — aside from one AHL season with the Chicago Wolves in 2019-20 — as he worked his way up. He had established himself as a solid NHL defenseman with the Sharks when the Kraken came calling last winter, trading a fourth-round pick to bolster depth for their playoff push.
In Seattle, Megna simply sat around while waiting for playing time that never came. Out of 85 Kraken games, he dressed only six times — including zero out of 38 this season.
Until January, the Kraken didn’t want to assign him to the AHL, either, out of fear of losing him on waivers (as they eventually did). He was completely stuck.
“I’ve been playing pro for 10 years, and I’ve never seen a guy in that spot,” he said. “It was tough. It’s not easy every day, showing up at the rink and knowing you’re not going to play and being with a group of guys that you want to compete with.
“I was happy in San Jose, and I was getting a good opportunity to play. . . . That’s the nature of the business where I played well enough to have another team want me. It’s just disappointing when you go somewhere and you don’t get that opportunity to show why they traded for you and prove to them they made a good decision.”
The only thing Megna got out of his entire experience in Seattle was daily practice with Kraken assistant coach Jay Leach, whom he lauded for investing time in him. The constant training and skating made it feel like a “12-month offseason.”
Megna finally arrived on the Hawks with a tank full of energy, and he has shown no signs of rust. He has added stability to an inexperienced, injury-riddled defensive unit while averaging nearly 18 minutes a night.
Through his first seven appearances (entering Thursday), the Hawks outshot opponents 56-45 and outscored them 3-2 during his five-on-five ice time. His 46.2% scoring-chance ratio is less impressive but still ranks third among Hawks defensemen this month.
“He’s taking advantage of a good situation,” coach Luke Richardson said. “He’s a heads-up hockey player. He makes pretty good plays. He’s physical, he’s big, he uses his range [and] he’s not afraid to get up and keep his gap.”
Odds are he won’t be a long-term piece for the Hawks — his contract expires in July — but at least he’s showing the league he’s still a capable player.
Being back in Chicago also has led to a reunion with his group of childhood friends. They’ve had frequent dinners and hung out more during the past couple weeks than they had over the past 13 years combined.
And at the United Center, plenty more memories from his childhood — of attending Hawks games and parades as a fan — have come cascading back.
“Just being able to pull on a Blackhawks jersey has been surreal,” he said. “That first game [at home Jan. 7], with Jim Cornelison singing the anthem . . . it was pretty amazing to be out there, standing on the blue line for that. It’s not something I’ll get used to anytime soon.”
