The San Jose Sharks have a plethora of young talent, aside from just superstar Macklin Celebrini, as the team continues to usher in a new era of San Jose hockey. One talented young forward who grabs attention is 19-year-old Michael Misa. Misa has always had a competitive spirit and a fire under him, going back to his youth hockey days, so it’s no wonder the forward has high expectations going into his sophomore season.
Back when he was 14, turning 15, years-old, Michael Misa joined the Mississauga Senators U16 AAA team. At the ripe age of 15-years-old, Misa finished the season with 43 points (16G, 27A) in 27 games. Riding the wave of a great season, Misa led the Senators to the U16 OHL Cup where they won the championship. In this championship run, Misa notched a remarkable 20 points in only 7 games, the most of anyone in the tournament. Unsurprisingly, these 20 points earned him a spot on the OHL Cup All-Star Team and named the tournament MVP.
Following such an incredible AAA season, the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit saw Michael Misa’s prowess and drafted him first overall in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection Draft. Since Misa would only be 15-years-old entering his OHL rookie season, the league granted him “exceptional status”. This “exceptional status” cleared Misa to play in the OHL a year early, a status held only by five other players in OHL history: John Tavares (2005), Aaron Ekblad (2011), Connor McDavid (2012), Sean Day (2013) and Shane Wright (2019)...certainly some impressive names to be among.
Misa wasted no time to get into the swing of things with the OHL, and continued his outstanding campaign. In his 45 games played his rookie season, Misa had 56 points (22G, 34A). These 56 points were the most by any rookie in the CHL, earning him a spot on the CHL All Rookie Team, and a spot on the OHL 1st Rookie Team. Early in the season, he also played in the U17 World Hockey Challenge for Canada Red, where he put up 6 points (3G, 3A) in 7 games played and won a silver medal.
He sustained his spectacular OHL career in another season with the Spirit, notching 75 points (29G, 46A) in 67 games. His fantastic playoff performance, scoring 11 points (4G, 7A) in 17 games led the Spirit to becoming the CHL’s Memorial Cup 2024 champions. However, Misa wasn’t done there. In the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, a U18 international tournament ahead of players’ draft seasons, Michael Misa recorded 8 points (2G, 6A) in 5 games in his gold medal campaign. This appearance set the tone for Misa’s next, and final, season in the OHL.
In his draft season, Michael Misa took his talent to the next level. Already producing at a high amount in previous seasons, Misa skyrocketed his production. In 65 games played wearing the “C” for the Saginaw Spirit, Misa notched an astounding 134 points (62G, 72A) and +45. This knockout performance earned him the title of the CHL and OHL’s top scorer, CHL 1st All-Star, OHL 1st-All Star, and the Red Tilson Trophy (awarded to the OHL’s most outstanding player). On top of his hockey success, Misa also showed his multitasking and prioritizing abilities by also earning the OHL’s Bobby Smith Trophy for Scholastic Player of the Year. With a good head on his shoulders and talent to match, the Sharks understandably drafted him 2nd overall in the 2025 draft.
Last year, in his rookie season with the Sharks, Misa cemented his spot as the number two center on the roster. In 45 games played, the freshman scored a solid 21 points (9G, 12A) and even represented Canada in the U20 World Junior Championship, winning bronze with 7 points (2G, 5A) in 7 games. With his continued upward trajectory, the sky is the limit for Misa.
There are a lot of expectations for Michael Misa going into this season, ones he is more than equipped to handle gracefully. Misa himself said at the end of the last season we haven’t even begun to see what he really can do, and there’s reason to believe that’s absolutely true. In the moments we saw him not getting weighed down by Tyler Toffoli’s slowness, Misa was a clinic of speed, stickhandling, and confidence. Additionally, the prospect of potentially getting more playing time with fellow young talent and former Saginaw Spirit linemate, Igor Chernyshov, is incredibly exciting. Plus, the added factor of this year’s second overall draft pick, Ivar Stenberg, incoming is enough to make Sharks fans shake with excitement. Misa is ready to take his play up a notch and help bring this organization to the next step in the rebuild. The question is: is the rest of the league ready?
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