Sharks select Michael Misa 2nd overall
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The San Jose Sharks selected center Michael Misa with the second overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday.
Misa is the eighth player in OHL history to be granted exceptional status, and he put up phenomenal numbers throughout his junior career with the Saginaw Spirit. He missed a chunk of games to injury as a 15-year-old rookie in 2022-23 but still led the club with 56 points. Misa was more productive the following season, producing 75 points in 65 appearances, and then exploded in his draft year with an OHL-leading 134 points, 10 clear of second place.
With that total, Misa tied John Tavares - another exceptional status player - for the most points by an under-18 player in the OHL since 2000. While he spent time at wing and center with the Spirit, he flourished down the middle this past season. Seamlessly transitioning to the NHL can be difficult for young centers, but Misa possesses the skating ability and offensive instincts to develop into a star at the highest level.
He also comes with a winning pedigree as a 2024 Memorial Cup champion.
What they're saying
"Misa is a beautiful skater with some quiet explosiveness and a real knack for weaving, cutting, turning, and spinning in control of the puck to either shake defenders under pressure in the offensive or defensive zone or slip past them in transition with his speed and agility," wrote The Athletic's Scott Wheeler. "He's also a very smart player who makes his linemates better with his playmaking, vision, and ability to execute while tightly covered."
Corey Pronman of The Athletic offered similar sentiments.
"He's a high-end skater with clear NHL edge work and top speed. He's highly skilled and creative. He makes a lot of skilled plays at rapid speeds and projects to get a lot of controlled entries at the top level," he wrote.
"He projects as a No. 1 center with a chance to be a star."