| Michael Misa | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 2007 Oakville, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 161 lb (73 kg; 11 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| OHL team | Saginaw Spirit | ||
| NHL draft | Eligible 2025 | ||
Michael Misa (born February 16, 2007) is a Canadian junior ice hockey forward for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He will be eligible for the 2025 NHL entry draft, where he is projected as most likely to be taken first overall. [1]
At the 2022 OHL Cup, Misa scored 20 points in seven games to beat Connor McDavid's record for tournament scoring. [2]
In April 2022, Misa was granted exceptional player status to enter the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the 2022–23 season, becoming the eighth player to be granted exceptional status, the previous being Shane Wright. [3] A few weeks later, he was selected first overall at the 2022 OHL draft by the Saginaw Spirit. [4] In his OHL debut on October 1, 2022, a 10–6 victory over the Guelph Storm, he recorded two goals. [5] Despite missing six weeks with a fractured tibia, he had the most productive season for an exceptional-status player in OHL history, achieving 1.24 points per game, ahead of John Tavares’ 1.18, Wright’s 1.14, and McDavid's 1.05. [6] Misa would go on to win the Emms Family Award as OHL rookie of the year. [7]
Appearing in 67 games during the 2023–24 season, Misa had 29 goals and 46 assists. His point-per-game rate was lower than the prior season, which Saginaw's general manager attributed to his playing fewer minutes as a result of the team acquiring veteran junior players like Owen Beck. [8] The Spirit made a deep run in the OHL playoffs to the Western Conference Final, but were defeated by the London Knights in six games. [9] However, as the hosts, the team still participated in the 2024 Memorial Cup against the champions of the CHL's three leagues. Misa distinguished himself during the team's round robin game against the Drummondville Voltigeurs, registering three assists in a 4–3 comeback victory and being named player of the game. [10] The Spirit reached the championship game, a rematch with the London Knights, and defeated them to claim the franchise's first Memorial Cup. [11]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada | ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Hlinka Gretzky Cup | ||
 | 2023 Czech Republic/Slovakia | |
Misa won a gold medal representing Canada in the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, finishing the tournament with eight points in five games. [12]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2022–23 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 45 | 22 | 34 | 56 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 67 | 29 | 46 | 75 | 26 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 | ||
| OHL totals | 112 | 51 | 80 | 131 | 36 | 28 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 8 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Canada Red | U17 |  | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Canada | HG18 |  | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2023 | [13] |
| Memorial Cup champion | 2024 | [11] |
| OHL | ||
| First All-Rookie Team | 2023 | [14] |
| Emms Family Award | 2023 | [7] |
The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. For the 2023–24 season, its three leagues and 60 teams represent nine Canadian provinces as well as four American states.
The 2002–03 OHL season was the 23rd season of the Ontario Hockey League. The North Bay Centennials relocated to Saginaw, Michigan, becoming the Saginaw Spirit. Due to the move, several teams changed divisions; the Saginaw Spirit were placed in the west division, the London Knights moved to the midwest division, and the Brampton Battalion moved to the central division. The London Knights moved into the new John Labatt Centre, which replaced the London Ice House. The Tim Adams Memorial Trophy was inaugurated as the MVP of the OHL Cup. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The Mississauga Icedogs qualified for the playoffs for the first time in their existence. The Kitchener Rangers won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Ottawa 67's in the final.
The 2008–09 QMJHL season was the 40th season of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The regular season began on September 11, 2008, and ended on March 15, 2009. The 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge series, featuring Team QMJHL versus the Russian Selects, took place on November 17 and 19, 2008. Eighteen teams played 68 games each. The Drummondville Voltigeurs, who finished first overall in the regular season, went on to capture their first President's Cup vs. the Shawinigan Cataractes in a series they won 4–3.
The 2011–12 OHL season was the 32nd season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 21, 2011 and ended on March 18, 2012. The playoffs began on Thursday March 22, 2012 and concluded on Friday May 11, 2012. The London Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the second time in franchise history. London secured a berth in the 2012 Memorial Cup hosted by the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL.
The 2013–14 OHL season was the 34th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Brampton Battalion relocated to North Bay and became the North Bay Battalion, playing at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. The first two outdoor games in OHL history were held this season, when the Saginaw Spirit, Windsor Spitfires, Plymouth Whalers, and London Knights played at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan as part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival on December 29. On March 11, 2014 Terry Trafford of the Saginaw Spirit, who had been missing for eight days, was found dead in his vehicle at a Wal-Mart in Saginaw, Michigan. His death was ruled a suicide as a result of self-inflicted asphyxiation. Twenty teams played 68 games each according to the regular season schedule, from September 19, 2013 to March 17, 2014. The Guelph Storm won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the third time in franchise history, and the first time since 2004, as they defeated the North Bay Battalion in five games, and represented the OHL at the 2014 Memorial Cup held at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario. The London Knights also qualified for the tournament as the host team.
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