There are a lot of Sharks goalies who have worn No. 31, but Martin Jones stands out as one of the two biggest names to do it, alongside Antti Niemi.
Jones’ NHL path began far from San Jose. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Kings, one of the Sharks’ biggest rivals, and spent multiple more seasons in the Western Hockey League and a few in the American Hockey League before finally getting his first NHL chance in the 2013-14 season.
When that opening came, he made it count. In 19 games with the Kings that year, Jones posted a 1.81 goals against average and a .934 save percentage while going 12-6-0. He also appeared in two playoff games that spring and went on to win his first, and only, Stanley Cup.
His game took another step once he arrived in teal. In his first season with the Sharks, Jones finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting and helped push the team all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The next season brought the lone NHL All-Star nod of his career.
The last three years of his Sharks tenure were much rougher. Jones finished each of those seasons with an .896 save percentage and a goals against average hovering around 3.00, and that stretch led to a buyout in the summer of 2021. He is still on the Sharks’ payroll today.
After leaving San Jose, Jones had one-season stops with the Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken, and Toronto Maple Leafs before his playing career ended after the 2023-24 season.
Last season, he moved into coaching as a goaltending coach for the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express.
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