2 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sharks draft center Michael Misa at No. 2 overall, goalie Joshua Ravensbergen at No. 30
Michael Misa put together the most prolific scoring campaign of any draft-eligible player since Patrick Kane in 2007.
The Canadian forward led the Ontario Hockey League, a top feeder league for the NHL, with 134 points, a franchise record for the Saginaw Spirit, on 62 goals and 72 assists. Kane accrued 145 points in the United States Hockey League ahead of being drafted No. 1 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks way back when.
On Friday, the San Jose Sharks selected Misa with the No. 2 overall pick in the NHL draft, putting to rest late-breaking speculation the team might go in a different direction. Sharks general manager Mike Grier bluntly confirmed he and his staff had decided Misa would be their pick at No. 2 'a while ago.'
'He was No. 2 on our list for quite a while,' Grier said in a post-Day 1 availability.
The 18-year-old had already proven his mettle in the face of doubt when Canada did not call on him to compete — or even tryout — in the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. The host country stumbled in the quarterfinals around the same time its homegrown phenom readied for a vengeful second-half tear, rattling off a 28-game point streak from Dec. 29-March 6. The world juniors spanned from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
Misa, known for his alpha-like leadership style, let the exclusion motivate him. And as much affirmed to Grier and company the ultra-competitor they had been rewarded. The Sharks had by far the best odds to win the lottery for a second year in a row. When they were relegated to runner-up, Misa was no consolation prize.
'It shows the maturity the kid has,' Grier said.
'He was able to turn the page and put the focus on his club team, and being a leader and captain for that team at a young age, I think that definitely shows some maturity to be able to put some of your personal goals aside and put the team first.'
Widely regarded as the best forward in this year's draft, Misa was long considered the front-runner to be drafted by the Sharks. Reports at the start of draft week stirred buzz that Anton Frondell, another promising forward who went No. 3 overall to the Blackhawks, might leapfrog Misa to San Jose. Both appeared to project as options to complete a 1-2 center tandem with Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks' No. 1 overall draft pick a year ago, with the flexibility to potentially play wing alongside the franchise centerpiece.
Grier was clear the Sharks see Misa — who has shown the versatility and willingness to play a wing as he did in 2023-24 for a Spirit team which won the Memorial Cup — sticking in the middle for the franchise. The Sharks have now drafted a center with their first pick in each of the last three drafts: Misa, Celebrini and Will Smith, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023.
'We're excited to have them all,' Grier said. 'As you kind of see in the playoffs, you need center depth. And even now, when you're on the other side of it, when you look around in the trade market and free agency, finding good centers, it's a hard thing to do.'
Plus, Grier has never been one to prioritize need over best available. Hence why San Jose used its No. 30 overall pick, as acquired in the Mikael Granlund trade, to draft goalie Joshua Ravensbergen when Yaroslav Askarov, 23, poses the potential to be the team's backstop moving forward. Grier simply stated Ravensbergen was the best available player.
Ravensbergen ranked as the top-ranked goalie prospect in North America according to NHL Central Scouting, having been named a goaltender of the year finalist in the Western Hockey League with a .901 save percentage.
Briefly: The Sharks will open Day 2 with seven draft picks to go, including two second-rounders (33, 53), one third-rounder (95), two fourth-rounders (115, 124), one fifth-rounder (150) and a seventh-rounder (210).
