San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier, Director of Amateur Scouting Chris Morehouse and the Sharks Hockey Operations department made two selections in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, drafting center Michael Misa (second overall) and goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen (30th overall).
With the second overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Sharks selected Misa.
Misa, 18, led all CHL players in scoring this season, logging 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) along with a plus-45 rating, and earned the CHL Top Scorer Award at the end of the season. Misa became the first player in Saginaw Spirit history to lead the CHL in scoring, had the most points for an under-18 player since 2000 (tied, John Tavares) and was the eighth-highest point total in a single season in CHL history. His 62 goals were the highest by an OHL player since the 2006-07 season (Patrick Kane), and was tied for third-most by a draft eligible skater in OHL history.
He set franchise records for both goals and points, and had 46 multi-point outings across 65 games in the 2024-25 season (70.1% of his games), which included 16 multi-goal games, and a 28-game point streak from Dec. 29-Mar. 6, recording 63 points (28 goals, 35 assists), which was the second-longest this year in the OHL and third-longest across the CHL. Misa scored three hat tricks in the season, and had eight games of at least four-or-more points, highlighted by a four-assist game on Mar. 23 against the Flint Firebirds.
Only five players across the entire CHL, three of which were in the OHL (minimum five games), registered at least two points or better per game this year. Misa and Sharks 2024 second-round selection (33rd overall) Igor Chernyshov were two of them.
By the end of the year, Misa was the recipient of the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, presented annually by the League to a candidate who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness, and athleticism, named as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player, earned the Eddie Powers Trophy, and the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award. He was also a Finalist for the David Branch Player of the Year award and CHL Scholastic Player of the Year.
Prior to his record-breaking 2024-25 season Misa was granted exceptional status to enter the OHL in 2022-23, which “allows skilled, underage hockey players to enter the major junior circuit early” as determined by Hockey Canada. He set the OHL record for points in the 2022 OHL Cup, scoring 20 points across seven games before being drafted by Saginaw as the first-overall selection in the 2022 OHL Draft. He was named to the OHL Cup All-Star Team and was the OHL Cup MVP.
The following year in his rookie campaign with Saginaw, despite missing several weeks due to an injury, Misa’s U-16 season was still remarkably productive. He produced 1.24 points-per-game, which co-led Saginaw in scoring with 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 45 games, and led all rookies in points, was second in goals, and third in assists. Misa became the fifth player in OHL history to produce at or better than a point-per-game pace in their exceptional status season, and his 1.24 points-per-game bested each of those players, including John Tavares (1.18) and Connor McDavid (1.05). He was named to the CHL All-Rookie Team, OHL First All-Rookie team, and was the OHL Rookie of the Year.
The following season, he registered 75 points in 67 games (29 goals, 46 assists), and finished third on the team in goals and points. Additionally, he helped the Spirit reach Round Three of the OHL Playoffs, falling to the eventual OHL Champions, the London Knights. Despite losing in the playoffs, the Spirit were the hosts of the 2024 Memorial Cup, and Misa helped lead his team to win the Memorial Cup, collecting five assists in five games.
Misa was ranked No. 2 overall by NHL Central Scouting (North American Skaters) in the 2025 NHL Draft.
