While it took a little longer than San Jose Sharks fans might have liked, first-round and second overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Michael Misa, has officially signed his entry-level contract.
“Michael is a gifted player and a hard worker who we are excited to bring into our organization,” said General Manager Mike Grier. “We are looking forward to his continued development as part of our group.”
The 18-year-old Misa has been participating in the team’s Captain’s skates at Sharks Ice in San Jose, the unofficial workouts before the start of the season. While there’s no official word on where Misa will start the season, most pundits believe that he’s ready for the NHL. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he has a frame that should be able to hold up in the NHL, much like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith did last season.
Misa led all players in the CHL in scoring last season with 134 points (62 G, 72 A) and had a plus-45 rating. He earned the Red Tilson Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League Player of the Year.
Where will Misa play next season?
Just because Misa has signed his entry-level deal, it does not guarantee that he will play for the Sharks next season, but in all honesty, it seems more likely than not that he will. Misa has clearly outgrown the CHL, as witnessed by his scoring last season. He’s too young for the AHL, by way of the current makeup of the rules. It’s pretty clear that neither the Sharks nor the player is interested in the NCAA route, which leaves the NHL as the best path forward.
Given how the Sharks handled Smith and Celebrini last season, the Sharks should have no qualms in allowing Misa to grow in a similar fashion. This will be a learning season for Misa, with potential planned development days, depending on how the Sharks feel about Misa’s needs.
Unless Misa looks completely out of place at training camp or in the first nine games of the season, we expect that he’ll be playing for the Sharks this season. If he does look out of place, sending him back to the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL is still an option.
50-contract limit looms large
With the Misa contract signing, the Sharks have reached the 50-contract limit, the upper limit allowed for all NHL teams. That means that San Jose will need to trade away contracts or agree to terminate contracts in order to get some breathing room. The breathing room might be important because, in the past, San Jose has taken advantage of its positioning as the worst team in the league to pick up players off the waiver wire.
This has been especially advantageous to San Jose at the beginning of the season as teams undergo training camp cuts. It is how San Jose acquired Ty Emberson and Mikey Eyssimont, two players the team was able to turn into actual pieces to help with the rebuild. Look for Grier to make a few small moves as we head into training camp to give himself some breathing room.
