NHL draft prospect spotlight: Michael Misa
In the lead-up to the 2025 NHL Draft, theScore is spotlighting eight of the most intriguing prospects in the class to help you get familiar with the top names before draft night.
Michael Misa is the most dynamic offensive player in the 2025 draft, and he has the talent to go first overall if the New York Islanders want a gamebreaker up front rather than top-ranked prospect Matthew Schaefer.
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 he still led the club with 56 points. He 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, he tied John Tavares - another exceptional status player - for the most points by an under-18 player in the OHL since 2000. Misa has spent time at wing and center with the Spirit, but flourished down the middle this past season. It's often difficult for young centers to seamlessly jump to the NHL, 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.
Best fits
Misa would be a terrific fit for anyone at the top of the draft: The Islanders, Sharks, and Blackhawks could all benefit from another offensive weapon. That said, there's a slim chance he falls past No. 2.
The Islanders don't have a strong prospect pipeline, and Misa would immediately shoot to the top ahead of Calum Ritchie and Cole Eiserman. New York desperately needs to inject offensive creativity into its lineup beyond Mathew Barzal, making Misa an enticing choice.
The Sharks hit a home run with Macklin Celebrini last year, but San Jose is still in the depths of its rebuild and needs to hone in on the best player available. If Misa's there at No. 2, the Sharks should take him and run with hopes of establishing a promising 1-2 punch down the middle for years to come.
The Blackhawks need support for Connor Bedard and, after they used four first-rounders on defensemen over the past three years, Misa would theoretically be a perfect complementary piece to build around.
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."