Jamie McGinn was born on August 5, 1988 in Fergus, Ontario. A gifted scorer, he would spend his entire OHL career with the Ottawa 67's and in 2006 was drafted by the San Jose Sharks.
In 2008-09, McGinn split time between the San Jose Sharks and their AHL affiliate in Worchester. In 35 games for the big club he managed to record four goals, the first of which came in just his second NHL game.
McGinn continued to progress with the Sharks. In 2011-12 he had recorded 12 goals for the club before finding himself on the move at the NHL trade deadline. He was sent to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Daniel Winnik and TJ Galiardi.
During the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, McGinn was traded once again, along with Ryan O'Reilly, to the Buffalo Sabres for Nikita Zadorov, Mikhail Grigorenko, J.T. Compher and a second round draft pick. McGinn's time in Buffalo would be short-lived. On February 29, 2016, the NHL trade deadline, he was on the move again. This time sent to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional third round draft pick.
McGinn would finish the 2015-16 season with the Ducks, recording 12 points in 21 games, but would become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. On July 1, 2016 he inked a deal with the Arizona Coyotes and would join the the club for the 2016-17 season. In 72 games for the club, McGinn scored nine times and added eight assists.
On September 17, 2017, McGinn's time in Arizona would come to an end. He was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jason Demers.