Michael Misa 2025 NHL Draft Scouting Report After Being Selected by Sharks

Scouting Report

In each draft, you're lucky to get one player who can consistently step onto the ice and take over a game, bending it to his will. This year, we're lucky enough to have two, one each on the forward and defense side.

As far as forwards go, Misa is the full package: The best all-around in this year's class. The combination of his relentless motor and elite vision allows him to make plays that will have you asking "How did he do that?" multiple times in one shift.

He's clever, able to conceive of scoring opportunities half the players he encounters on the ice can't, and he's very offense-focused.

It's no surprise Misa finished the regular season as the top scorer in not only the OHL but also all major-junior leagues, finishing with 134.

His playmaking ability and offensive production alone make him a tantalizing prospect, and those things will translate to the next level primarily because of his elite hockey sense and excellent skating.

Misa thinks the game at such a high level and far past game speed, and his skating allows him to work at those high speeds. 

He's a details guy, and it is the attention he pays to those details and to his own process that underpins the rest of his game.

If his attention to detail supports his overall game, his relentless motor drives it.

Misa is thoroughly engaged on every shift, whether he has the puck or not, and even when he's having an off-night, he's a threat. You'll think his opponent is going to accomplish something only for him to come in on the forecheck and take the puck away before the other team has even recognized the threat. And he'll finish it off by finding his teammates with a ridiculous pass that shouldn't work but does anyway.

Misa is an absolute machine, able to create chances and expose opponents' weaknesses in equal measure.

Getting behind a defense is no trouble for Misa, between his skating and his instincts, but he's also able to win battles and backcheck with the best of them.

His game is incredibly well-rounded, and it's for this reason that we don't doubt his ability to play center at a higher level. His habits are just too good and consistent to be of any concern. He's a true 200-foot player who can be trusted in any area of the ice.

It's untrue to say any prospect, particularly one in this draft year, has no weaknesses. Every player has aspects of their game they need to work on. But with Misa, what you see is what you get.

And while there are facets of his game I'd like to see him improve, nothing is glaring. No red flags, no potential mines lurking for the future. His game is overwhelmingly a team one, preferring to set up plays and create, but I'd love to see him improve those one-on-one moments. He's got the stick-handling abilities to beat opponents directly.

Vitals

Position: Center/Left Wing (Misa primarily plays center but has played wing in the past)

Age on Draft Day: 18

Height, Weight: 6'1", 182 pounds

2024-25 stats (OHL): 65 GP, 62 G, 72 A

Loose Stylistic Comparables

Macklin Celebrini

Brayden Point

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