San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa will miss the start of camp with an injury, Hockey Canada announced Friday. His spot will be filled by Brantford Bulldogs forward and Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick Marek Vanacker.
Misa, the second-overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft, was one of three NHL players loaned to Hockey Canada on Monday. He was sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan last week after being sidelined for most of November with a lower-body injury.
Hockey Canada said Misa, listed as day-to-day, would stay behind in San Jose a few more days to work with team doctors and therapists, but is expected to join the team during camp.
However, Misa did not play in AHL San Jose’s last game, on Wednesday, while several members of the Canadian junior team played for their respective clubs on Thursday.
The top scorer in the CHL last season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, Misa was a controversial omission from last year’s Canadian junior team, which was eliminated in the world junior quarterfinals for a second year in a row. He was expected to be a front-line player for Canada this season in Minnesota.
Vanacker was one of the biggest names left off the training-camp roster when it was announced Monday. He leads the CHL with 26 goals in 26 games for the top-ranked team in Canadian major-junior hockey.
Twenty-seven players are on the Canadian roster, which hits the ice Saturday in Niagara Falls, Ont. The team needs to cut at least one forward, one defenceman and one goalie before its tournament opener on Dec. 26 in Minnesota.
