San Jose Sharks welcome cancer survivor Zach Janes for Sharks Foundation visit with Michael Misa

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The San Jose Sharks turned an on-ice experience into a cancer-survivorship celebration this week, welcoming 22-year-old Zach Janes of Illinois for a Sharks Foundation visit that included practice access and time with the team, with second-year forward Michael Misa among the players he met on the ice.

Janes and his family arrived in San Jose from Illinois and took part in activities on Friday and Saturday, according to the NHL team. As part of the foundation-driven programme, Janes got to go on the ice with Sharks players, including Misa, who identified the visit as a chance to spend time together and reflect on what Janes has gone through. Janes was joined on the ice by his two brothers, Cole and Carson, and his wife Abby also attended the visit.

The Sharks’ activities during the trip included Janes watching practice and meeting multiple members of the organization before getting on the ice for practice reps as part of a visit connected to the campaign shown in the team’s posted material, “@Take1STEPwNIK.”

Janes is currently in remission from stage 3 Ewing sarcoma, a cancer described by the Sharks as one that forms inside bones or in soft tissue around them. The team said Janes grew up playing hockey in Pekin, Illinois, and has maintained a lifelong connection to the sport.

Misa, a second-year forward for San Jose, spoke publicly about the moment shortly after the visit began, saying he enjoyed getting to know Janes and described the visit as “humbling” given what Janes has been through. Misa also referenced the casual interaction style common during practice and games, noting that Janes had asked what Misa was thinking on a breakaway during the Sharks’ Thursday game against the Vancouver Canucks.

That Thursday matchup provided a direct connection between the two sides: Misa had a breakaway in the first period of San Jose’s 3–2 win over the Canucks, a chance that was stopped by Vancouver goaltender Leevi Meriläinen. The NHL team’s report tied that highlight to the visit by explaining that the breakaway became part of Janes’s conversation with Misa during the two-day stay.

Beyond the players’ time with Janes, the Sharks said the trip was made possible through a connection involving Sharks goalie coach Thomas Speer and the Sharks Foundation. The team reported that a mutual friend put Speer and Janes in touch, and Speer helped relay Janes’s wish to the Sharks Foundation so the visit could be organized.

Speer described the collaboration as stemming from a reach-out rather than a personal relationship, saying in the team’s account that he had not met Janes directly but was connected through a friend who knew Janes’s dream of coming to the Sharks. Speer said the friend had also noted Janes’s fandom, describing him as a “big” supporter of Misa and Macklin Celebrini, and explained that Speer’s role focused on connecting the wish with the foundation and the Sharks staff who would coordinate the experience.

The Sharks identified the friend who made that initial introduction as Bill Maday, a former University of Notre Dame captain. Speer said Maday played hockey with him in Chicago as a youngster and that they shared a relationship through youth hockey for several years before staying in touch occasionally. In the Sharks’ account, that history helped make the outreach feel straightforward once Maday reached out.

While the visit centred on the on-ice interaction, Speer and Misa also framed the experience in terms of how professional athletes and hockey staff can support people outside normal team routines. Speer said the Sharks Foundation does work that helps take logistics off the plates of players and coaches, adding that the foundation’s role matters for people dealing with difficult circumstances who may otherwise struggle to engage with teams in proactive ways.

Misa said he presented Janes with a signed stick during the visit. He also planned to provide a jersey following Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, which the team reported ended in a 5–1 San Jose loss. The Sharks’ account added that Janes stayed near the team area after the game and met with Misa after he scored San Jose’s only goal.

For the Sharks organization, the visit functioned as both a personal milestone for Janes’s family and a practical demonstration of the Sharks Foundation’s role in organizing player access. For Misa, it was also presented as an opportunity to develop a real connection beyond a game highlight, with the team’s report emphasizing that the interaction extended across practices, on-ice reps, and post-game time at an important moment in the season.