This past June, the San Jose Sharks selected centre Michael Misa second overall at the NHL Draft in Los Angeles. Misa was a proven and prolific scorer at the OHL level with the Saginaw Spirit and he ended last season as the top scorer in the entire CHL after producing an incredible 62 goals and 72 assists in the regular season. It was Misa’s third full year in the OHL after being granted “exceptional player status” in the spring of 2022, which allowed him to enter the league a year earlier than the rest of his peer group.
Misa worked hard in the off-season to prepare himself for his first NHL training camp. It came as no surprise to me that he made the Sharks roster out of camp. What does he have left to prove at the OHL level? How would a return to junior benefit his development?
Misa has suited up for just seven games with the Sharks. He has occasionally been a healthy scratch, but also missed some time with an ankle injury and as he works to return from that, he's now been loaned to the Sharks' AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, on a conditioning stint.
Misa can’t afford to watch games from the press box at the NHL level. He needs to play as many games as possible, at some level, to avoid having his development interrupted and experiencing a lost year of growth as a prospect.
It's for that exact reason the San Jose Sharks should loan Misa to Canada’s world junior team to compete against some of the top prospects in the world at the tournament in Minneapolis/St. Paul over the Christmas holidays.
Misa has suffered through some growing pains in his brief audition at the NHL level, but he’s showed me enough positives to earn my trust. I believe in his overall trajectory as an elite prospect.
Here’s what I’ve witnessed so far from Misa and how it translates to what he could provide Canada’s head coach Dale Hunter and his staff at the WJC:
Starting on time
The first shift of any period can establish momentum for a team. Misa has occasionally been tasked with taking the opening draw and he provided generally positive results. This isn't something a casual fan takes too seriously, but coaches are keen to establish control early in games and periods so they recognize who they can trust to set the tone for their group.
Here’s an example of Misa starting a game versus the Kings. He’s engaged from the drop of the puck in all three zones:
The small details
An NHL game tracks up and down the ice quicker than it ever has. Split-second decision-making leads to on-time execution with and without the puck. Misa is still adjusting to the pace of the NHL when he looks to distribute off the rush or direct pucks on net. I have no doubt he will evolve as he plays more games and gains more confidence. At this stage of his development, he simply hasn’t had enough reps at the NHL level to execute the way he is capable. Misa has averaged only 9:39 of ice time at even strength and 2:04 on the power play per game when he has dressed for the Sharks.
Here's an example that shows how Misa still has to make adjustments to the speed of the game at the NHL level. He attempts to make a pass off the rush instead of directing the puck on net. When the Colorado Avalanche turn the play back up ice it’s notable that their forward decides to shoot the puck from the exact same spot Misa passed when he found himself on offence:
If San Jose loans Misa to Team Canada, I fully expect him to produce a different result in a similar scenario versus developing prospects from his peer group and get back to doing what he does best: playing an attacking style that, more often than not, ends up with the puck in the back of his opponent’s net.
The big picture
Misa scored his first NHL goal versus the Minnesota Wild on October 26. It’s always fun to witness a youngster getting his first tuck and in Misa’s case the sequence that led to his goal demonstrated his speed and ability to read and react to how a play is developing.
The Sharks have a unique opportunity available to them. Misa is currently on a conditioning stint with the Barracuda and is eligible to participate in a maximum of five AHL games before he'd have to be recalled by the Sharks. The Barracuda play this Friday and Saturday, next Wednesday, and then another couple of weekend games before Misa would need to rejoin the NHL club.
Given the timing of his conditioning assignment, Misa could use his stint to prepare for Canada’s junior training camp and hit the ground running when he arrives. Canada's camp opens on Friday Dec. 12 and will run through the 22nd, before the WJC commences on Boxing Day. The players participating in that camp will be announced Monday morning.
The Sharks, and more importantly Misa, will benefit in the long run if they decide to loan the young prospect to Canada. Any time a player gets to participate in high leverage games and play a significant role in the process it benefits all parties involved in the long run. And Misa would be a key contributor for Canada if he were to be loaned.
