Heading into his second year in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks would undoubtedly love to see Michael Misa take a massive step forward in his development.
Misa, 19, had the disadvantage of great expectations heading into his rookie season. As the second-overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, it's easy to get caught by a whirlwind of expectations which can lead to disappointing performances. Luckily for Misa, the Sharks were no stranger to top prospects as they had Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith break into the NHL during the prior season.
Misa followed a similar plan to Smith's rookie season, as the Sharks allowed him to adjust to life in the NHL without wearing him out with the insane schedule that comes as a part of it. They'd sit him as needed, which allowed him to rest and learn by watching his teammates.
The Sharks likely would've preferred to see Misa on the ice more than 45 times last season, but injury, the World Junior Championships and some early contractual issues on the organization's side of things led to him being limited even more than expected.
Assuming Misa is able to stay healthy during his sophomore season, it seems safe to assume that the Sharks are going to aim to play him in all 84 games this time around. So, assuming he's able to do that, what would a successful season look like for the young centerman?
While offensive production is a key part of Misa's game, and it will be his biggest asset in the long run, the Sharks need to get him to a point where he can match up against other teams' top players if necessary. Misa will likely slot in as the Sharks' second-line center of the future, behind Celebrini of course. In the event that Celebrini suffers an injury at some point down the line, which the Sharks will need to be able to rely on Misa to cover all of his duties, which will include playing against the NHL's elite centers.
Misa will likely never be a candidate for the Selke Trophy, but they'll want him to be solid in his own zone and that side of his game needs a considerable amount of work at the NHL level. He was a reliable two-way player in the Ontario Hockey League, now he needs it to translate to the NHL.
On the offensive side of things, it's unrealistic to expect him to have a season like Celebrini did in his sophomore campaign. For Misa, a realistic target would likely be between 50-60 points in an 84 game season. Given his natural goal-scoring ability as well, roughly 20 of those should be goals.
All-in-all, the most important thing Misa needs to do for a successful season is to establish himself as the Sharks' second-line center as soon as possible. With the team aiming to push for a playoff spot this time around, Ryan Warsofsky and company will need Misa to surpass Alexander Wennberg for that spot. Even though Wennberg is a fantastic third-line center, he shouldn't be on the second line of a playoff team.
Expectations are undoubtedly going to be high for Michael Misa heading into his second NHL season, but that's nothing new for him. While there's always the possibility of a sophomore slump, he has all the tools to be a key player for the Sharks this season if he's able to put things together.
