Born in Southern California, Zucker moved to Las Vegas with his family when he was an infant and would become both the first Nevada-raised draft pick and player in NHL history.

The forward was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the second round (No. 59) of the 2010 NHL Draft, and it's no wonder he became one of the fastest skaters in the League. His mother, Natalie, is a former competitive figure skater, and his father, Scott, is a general contractor who built ice and roller rinks when Jason was young, allowing his then kindergarten-aged son hours a day of free skating time.

Having followed an older brother into ice hockey, Jason began traveling out of state to find better competition at age 10. At 17, he played the first of two seasons with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.

Zucker was one of two players (Jack Campbell) to win three gold medals within a calendar year, helping the United States win the World Junior Under-18 tournament in 2009 and 2010, and the 2010 World Junior Championship. Zucker also won a bronze medal at the 2011 Worlds.

Already committed to the University of Denver before being drafted, Zucker played two seasons there. He had 91 points (45 goals, 46 assists) in 78 college games and turned pro at the end of the 2011-12 season.

As fast as Zucker is, his NHL career started slowly. He had eight goals and 12 points in 47 games from 2011-14.

Zucker spent most of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season with Houston of the American Hockey League. He scored his first NHL goal Feb. 17, 2013 in a 3-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings.

Zucker scored 21 goals in 2014-15 and finished 10th in the NHL with a 16.9 shooting percentage. On Oct. 25, 2015, Zucker set a Wild record by scoring 10 seconds into a 5-4 win against the Winnipeg Jets.

He scored at least 20 goals in four straight seasons (2016-20), with NHL career-highs of 33 goals and 64 points in 2017-18. He won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contribution in 2018-19.

Zucker was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins by the Wild on Feb. 10, 2020. His tenure in Pittsburgh ended with his fifth 20-goal season in 2022-23, and he signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1, 2023. He had 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 51 games for the Coyotes before he was traded to the Nashville Predators on March 8, 2024, for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Zucker signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2024. He signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with Buffalo on March 7, 2025.