Michael Misa is starting to make an impact at the NHL level.
The San Jose Sharks rookie had a rollercoaster start to the season, being in and out of the lineup due to roster management issues, injuries, and, of course, the World Junior Championship. Now that things are starting to find a sense of normalcy for the 19-year-old forward, he’s starting to put up some points.
“He's been great,” Will Smith added. “I think you definitely see [that] he's playing with more confidence now. He's got a lot of chances, and he started to bear down on those and put [them] in the back of the net. It's fun to see.”
“It took me a couple of games to get used to the pace and how the game was played,” Misa said. “I'm getting faster and keeping up with the play, but also trying to try to slow the play down, [which] is something I usually do in the offensive zone.”
Since returning from the Olympic break, Misa has four points in three games, including two goals.
Against the Winnipeg Jets last Sunday, Misa scored his first career game-winning goal when he scored in overtime to hand the Sharks a 2-1 victory. “He's 19, and he just dangled through three guys and put it in against one of the best goalies in the league,” defenseman Vincent Desharnais said of the goal.”It was pretty awesome to see, and everyone was really happy for him, too.”
“It was pretty crazy,” Smith added. “We saw him getting that speed there, and he's a great skater, so we knew something was going to happen.”
Misa isn’t letting his recent success get to his head, though. When asked to rank his confidence, he replied, “Just neutral, whatever that is. [You] don't want to get too high, don't want to get too low. You’re going to have good games. You're going to have bad games. I think it's important to just focus on the next one and not get too high.”
Of course, for a young centerman, offense isn’t everything. Misa feels that he’s also taken a step forward defensively. “It was definitely a work in progress as a center, coming in as a young guy to be responsible defensively as well,” he said. “I think I've been doing a good job recently, just playing harder on guys, giving them extra cross checks and stuff like that. It can [also] lead to offense.”
Importantly, Misa has also fit in well with the Sharks’ group of players. “He's been great in the locker room,” Smith said. “All of the boys love him. He's been great this whole time.”
Misa’s turbulent playing this season has been fairly similar to what Smith encountered in his rookie campaign last season. Smith was often held out of the lineup to help him adapt to life at the NHL level. As a result, Smith has shared some advice with his young teammate, but doesn’t go overboard with it either. “I think he knows what he's doing,” Smith said. “He got here for a reason, but whenever he asks something, or maybe I see something, we'll talk, but I think he's starting to figure it out.”
Misa has played just 21 games at the NHL level, but it seems like he’s starting to figure out what it takes to be a difference maker at this level.