Michael Misa has sights set on gold in big year for top 2025 NHL Draft prospect

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Michael Misa has sights set on gold in big year for top 2025 NHL Draft prospect

Michael Misa has spent the past few years hearing about how special he is.

And for a good reason. In 2022, the Oakville, Ontario native became just the sixth player in OHL history to be granted exceptional status, allowing him to play a year early. The Saginaw Spirit took him with the No. 1 pick and immediately made him the face of the franchise.

Still, he’s as humble as they come.

Misa impressed in his first season, tying Vegas Golden Knights prospect Matyas Sapovaliv for the team scoring lead with 56 points. And Misa did it in just 45 games, which is downright impressive given his 1.24 points-per-game average was the highest of any exceptional status OHLer. For reference, Connor McDavid had 1.05 in 2012-13.

Speaking of McDavid, Misa broke the OHL Cup scoring record in 2022 with 20 points in seven games, a title previously held by No. 97. It made justifying the exceptional status position significantly easier after putting up great numbers all season long in the GTHL.

“Mikey’s speed is just phenomenal,” Mississauga and Team Canada teammate Malcolm Spence said after the OHL Cup final. “He’s so deceptive and he knows how to move at full speed and still make plays happen. He’s the best.”

Nothing seems to faze Misa. He’s not thinking about the future, like the potential of going first overall in 2025. All he cares about is his next assignment. And now, that’s helping Canada try and win the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for the 24th time.

The Hlinka helps kick off the draft calendar in style, but it’s not uncommon for a future draft class to take center stage. In 2021, Matvei Michkov and Dalibor Dvorsky unleashed chaos two years before getting selected. So while the 2006s are the ones scouts will be watching, they’ll also be focused on one of the youngest players in the entire tournament.

“Winning gold is something I obviously want to do,” Misa said following Canada’s 7-1 exhibition game victory over Hungary’s U-20 team. “But you just want to go out and be able to prove yourself, and show what you’re able to do.”

So far, so good. After getting promoted to the top line with top 2024 prospect Berkly Catton, Misa put up a six-point performance in a 14-4 win over Slovakia on Tuesday. It was easily the best single-game performance of any player in the tournament so far.

Last fall, Misa represented Canada at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, recording six points in seven games. You could tell there was still a bit of a speed adjustment he had to overcome compared to when he was dominating with the GTHL’s Mississauga Senators a year prior. But as he continued to get more comfortable as time wore on. A knee injury in the fall didn’t slow him down as the success kept coming.

“It took some adjusting, playing against bigger and stronger players,” the 5-foot-11 forward said. “But I tried to use my speed and skill to my advantage.”

Misa is still just 16, the same age of the next crop of prospects coming to the OHL this season. But it wouldn’t be surprising if he hit 80-90-point mark this year based on his trajectory from his rookie season alone. And to top it off, he should have some solid support. Saginaw is hosting the 2024 Memorial Cup and already has some notable names in Sapovaliv, Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Joey Willis (Nashville) and top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh, among others. They’re bound to make other moves ahead of the OHL trade deadline, which will only benefit the youngster.

Misa was drafted to the OHL as a center, but played quite a bit of wing during the year, too. At the Hlinka, Misa has been playing on the left wing. Misa said he’s willing to play anywhere and doesn’t see himself as favoring either option and will gladly do whatever the coaches want him to do.

“He’s versatile, he can do a bit of everything,” an OHL scout said. “You see the work ethic, and then you see the results. There’s a reason he’s going to get drafted high.”

While Michael will have to wait a year to have his name called, his older brother, Luke, is up for the 2024 draft. He’s coming off a 43-point campaign this past year in Mississauga and will look to build upon that this year. Michael said the two were competitive growing up, pushing each other to get better.

“It’s fun watching him play,” the younger brother said. “He’s going to be very important for Mississauga.”

For now, Misa will look to start the season off with a bang, winning gold at the Hlinka Gretzky. He’ll have a few weeks off to relax and play his beloved golf before returning to Saginaw for OHL training camp. It’s going to be an eventful campaign for Misa, but he’s excited for the challenge.

It won’t be long until the average hockey fan knows his name.

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