We’re 39 days away from the San Jose Sharks opening their season at the SAP Center against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 9 at 10 p.m.
Because of that, let’s take a look at the players in franchise history who have worn the number 39. There have been four players to wear the number, which was first seen in 1992. Since then, there were a handful of players but then 39 became wore it for 15 seasons by Logan Couture, who likely will be the last player to ever wear it. So, let’s dive into it
The first player to wear it during the 1992-93 season was Ed Courtenay. He played in 44 games with the Sharks over two seasons and scored seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points. After his two seasons with San Jose came to an end, so did his time in the NHL. He never played in the league again but did manage to play around the world until the 2009-10 season.
Jeff Friesen was the next player to wear it from 1994-2001, while also wearing number 19 during the 1995-96 season. He was the Sharks' first-round pick in the 1994 NHL Draft and went on to spend seven seasons with the club. During that time, he played in 512 games and scored 149 goals and 201 assists for 350 points. After leaving San Jose, he played for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals before heading overseas after the 2006-07 season.
Thomáš Plíhal was the next player to wear it, and he spent three seasons with the club. After being drafted by the team in the fifth round of the 2001 NHL Draft, he finally made his NHL debut during the 2006-07 season. During his time with the organization, he played in 89 games and scored seven goals and nine assists for 16 points. After his time with the Sharks ended, he headed overseas and played until the 2021-22 season.
Lastly, the aforementioned Couture, who first wore the number in the 2009-10 season and never took it off. He spent 15 years with the organization before having to retire due to injuries that halted his career. He fell just short of hitting 1,000 games, finishing with 933 games, 323 goals and 378 assists for 701 points. As mentioned before, he will likely be the last player to ever wear the number 39 in the Sharks' organization, as it seems destined to be retired sooner rather than later.
We are only nine days away from being within a month of the start of the 2025-26 NHL season. It’s coming quickly, so be sure to keep it locked here for more updates on the Sharks.
