Dave Drinkill knew Michael Misa’s name well before he first set eyes on the young forward at a tournament in September 2021. That’s pretty typical in OHL circles, where word of mouth spreads fast and early scouting reports are plentiful. Misa’s older brother, Luke, had paved the way, making the Mississauga Steelheads’ roster that fall, but even factoring in that boost, at 14 years old, Misa drew more buzz than most.
“Everybody always says, ‘Wait ‘til you see the younger brother, wait ‘til you see this player come up,’” says Drinkill, general manager of the Saginaw Spirit. “And sometimes those players come to fruition, and sometimes they kind of fall away and you never hear those names again.”
Misa definitely came to fruition, and then some.
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“He’s one of those players that when he was on the ice — and he still is like this — [he]brings you to the edge of your seat a little bit, you expect something’s gonna happen,” says Drinkill, thinking back to those early scouting days. “Offensively, very creative. His IQ is off the charts. He’ll make plays under pressure, and I think that’s a really hard thing to teach a young player — and he had that at a young age.”
The September tournament where Drinkill first saw him was just the beginning of a career-altering season for Misa, which ended with the Oakville, Ont. native breaking Connor McDavid’s OHL Cup scoring record (Misa registered 21 points in seven games) before joining the Edmonton Oilers superstar in the exclusive club of skaters granted Exceptional Player status by the CHL. It was the beginning of a new chapter for Drinkill, too, who weeks after the designation drafted Misa first overall in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection Draft.
Here’s what you need to know about the NHL prospect who’s lived up to that exceptional billing since.
Team: Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Position: Centre/Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Hometown: Oakville, Ont.
Age: 18 (Feb. 16, 2007)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 185 pounds
WHAT THE SCOUTS ARE SAYING
It was Misa’s hockey IQ and obvious eye for the game that first stood out to Drinkill. And it’s that vision, combined with his power, undeniable speed, and deft scoring touch, that makes him such a coveted prospect — and one that won’t need to wait long to learn his draft-night fate.
“He makes players better, and he creates something from nothing a lot,” says Drinkill. “Even as the GM, watching up top, sometimes you think the play maybe is dead or is gonna die, maybe we gotta look at something different, and then he’ll make a play out of nothing, make small plays under pressure, and create scoring chances for us.”
The winger-turned-centreman embraced a transition to his preferred place down the middle this season and as the Spirit turned the offence — and, midway through the 2024-25 campaign, the captaincy — over to him his elite scoring took centre stage. When it did, Misa rose up the monthly prospect rankings assembled by Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino, starting at No. 5 and making his way to the projected second-overall pick.
Misa’s two-way game is also getting noticed in a good way, and Drinkill hopes his more underrated elements, like his ability to protect the puck and position his body to create space and maximize plays, will, too.
“His competitiveness, too, for loose pucks in the corner. He’ not afraid at all — it doesn’t matter, when he was 15 to now,” says Drinkill. “And playing at the NHL level, I’m sure he’s gonna go in and get that puck. That competitiveness maybe goes underrated a little bit for him.”
FROM CANADA CAMP SNUB TO SAGINAW C AND OHL MVP, MISA MADE MOST OF DRAFT YEAR
More than a few eyebrows were raised when, not long into Misa’s draft year, he was left off Hockey Canada’s list of evaluation camp invites ahead of the 2025 world junior championship. Other big names also found themselves without an invitation, but considering Misa’s position atop the CHL’s goals and points leaderboards, he was a particularly puzzling omission.
But that wasn’t going to define Misa’s all important draft campaign — the centreman saw to that with a second-half scoring spree for the ages. In his first 13 games after the snub, Misa tallied 26 points. In January, he registered his 200th career OHL point, setting a new franchise record as the fastest player to reach the mark (148 games). He put together a 28-game point streak, and by season’s end had racked up 62 goals and 72 assists for 134 points in 65 games to lead the entire CHL.
His trophy case reflects his production. In addition to being named to the OHL First All-Star Team, Misa was also given the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s most outstanding player and was also recognized as the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year. And earlier this month, the NHL awarded Misa the E.J. McQuire Award of Excellence.
HOW HIGH CAN MISA CLIMB? ‘I WOULDN’T BET AGAINST HIM,’ SAYS GM
“Obviously like any young player, there’s going to be an adjustment,” says Drinkill, when asked about Misa’s NHL potential. “But what I’ve learned about Mike is he can adjust.”
Drinkill has seen that firsthand over the course of Misa’s three-year tenure in Saginaw.
He watched a 15-year-old Misa live up to exceptional expectations as an underaged rookie in 2022-23, leading all first-year peers in points and earning the league’s rookie-of-the-year award. Then, he watched Misa elevate his game amongst a championship-worthy core in 2023-24, learning from the club’s veterans and finishing second in team points en route to the club’s Memorial Cup victory. And this year, he watched Misa not just embrace the extra pressure that comes with being a projected top-five pick, but thrive.
“Whether he was on the wing, on the first power play or the second at a young age, he adjusted from minor hockey to our league,” says Drinkill. “I wouldn’t bet against him.”
Drinkill has relished the opportunity to see Misa excel with every new challenge and grow into his NHL potential.
“Whatever NHL team gets him, first and foremost, you’re getting an unbelievable person off the ice, a leader, a player that other players are gonna wanna learn from as he grows older at the NHL level,” says Drinkill. “And then on the ice, I think you’re getting a star. I think you’re getting an offensively gifted player.
“As he gets going, as he gets his feet wet in the NHL and gets established, I think we’re gonna see his game take off,” the GM adds. “He’s just a guy that’s gonna be a cornerstone franchise player for the team that drafts him.”
