Over the course of the summer, many top prospects from the 2025 draft have signed their entry-level contracts or, at the very least, committed to playing in the NCAA. In fact, this is the case for 8 of the 10 top picks from this year. The two that haven’t? Caleb Desnoyers has not signed, but after undergoing wrist surgery, he is expected to return to the QMJHL this season, so there is no rush to get him under contract until the end of the season. The other is the Sharks' own Michael Misa.
Misa’s case is much more complicated. On the surface, one would assume he is unsigned for the intention to play in the NCAA next season, or at least keep that option open. However, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, the NCAA is not a route Misa is particularly interested in. And while Sheng didn’t completely rule it out, the closer we get to September, the unlikelier it gets that Misa plays NCAA hockey this season, as teams need to have players enrolled in school to be eligible to play, and while Misa would undoubtedly be an exception, for some schools, holding a roster spot going into NHL camp is a lot to ask for an NCAA team. So I'm leaning towards believing Misa’s disinterest in playing college hockey.
From a Sharks perspective, the NCAA makes a lot of sense. Will Smith, their 4th overall pick, played his D+1 in the NCAA, and after dominating, was better off for it when he made his debut a year later. Misa could benefit from the schedule and opportunity to add strength before leaping to the NHL. Something that the CHL doesn’t really offer Misa if he can’t break the Sharks roster. Still, if Misa does not want to play there, the Sharks probably aren’t too concerned about it, and I doubt it would hold up giving him an ELC to this point.
Another reason Misa isn’t signed is simply due to contract space. Per Puckpedia, the Sharks have 49 contracts with two slide-eligible deals in Wallenius and Dickinson. Wallenius is likely to slide as he is expected to remain overseas, but Dickinson could very well break camp with the Sharks, leaving them with 50 contracts, the maximum number of contracts a team can have. While this won’t stop the Sharks from having both Misa and Dickinson on the opening night roster if they prove good enough, it could explain why we're waiting on the Misa ELC. The Sharks likely still retain leverage on the trade market as long as Misa remains unsigned, and the possibility of the NCAA still exists. While it isn’t likely to be much, teams could try to use the leverage to extort some extra value out of the Sharks in a potential trade. The Sharks could also be waiting to see whether they lose any players on waivers or how they perform in training camp before dealing from their depth, leading to them waiting to finalize Misa’s ELC.
Lastly, it could simply be a matter of numbers; the ELC is standard for all prospects, but potential bonuses are often negotiated into contracts for top prospects. The two sides may be at an impasse regarding the Bonus structure of the contract, which is why it has not been completed. If this is the case, I don’t expect it to be a significant issue for either side.
While we don’t know when Misa will sign, Sharks fans should still be excited for what he brings to the table this coming season. If Misa is indeed forgoing the NCAA route, He should at the very least get nine games in the NHL to prove himself, and it will be interesting to watch how he handles himself in training camp.