SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the team has signed unrestricted free agent forward James Marcou to an entry-level contract. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Marcou, who spent the last three seasons at the University of Massachusetts, led the team in scoring for the third straight year and set a single-season school record for assists (40). The junior finished the 2009-10 season with a team-high 51 points in 36 games (11 goals, 40 assists) and was named to the second-team Hockey East All-Star.

Marcou accumulated 130 points (34 goals, 96 assists) in 111 collegiate games with his 96 career assists being the most in school history. The Minuteman's Assistant Captain was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award in two of his three seasons and finished the season first nationally in assists per game. He was also named Second Team All American in 2008-09.

“James has excelled during his collegiate career,” said Wilson. “He’s a creative player that consistently produces and we want to commend the job that UMass Head Coach Don Cahoon and his assistants, Red Gendron and Len Quesnelle have done. We are excited to add James to our organization.”

The five-foot-eight, 165-pound native of Kings Park, New York also spent two seasons in the USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks (2005-2007) prior to attending UMass, posting 103 points (42 goals, 61 assists) in 109 career games. He led the team to an Anderson Cup Championship in 2007 and played for the U.S. National Under-18 team that won the Gold Medal in 2005.