The Steelheads beat the Petes 5-3 on Thursday night with the help of a Luke Misa hat trick, as he continues his dominant draft eligible season.
Draft eligible forward Luke Misa scored his third hat trick of the season last night, as Mississauga triumphs over the Peterborough Petes by a score of 5-3.
Luke Misa's third hat trick this season ties a franchise record, which he has 19 games left in the season to break.
Misa's speed and creativity has been at the forefront of his draft profile this season, as he has compiled 64 points through 49 games. His offence comes fast and furious, and there hasn't been much that defence can do to stop his speed.
Misa's speed and explosiveness makes him a quick play driver. He can break into the offensive zone at full speed and proceed to make plays at that speed, making him especially dangerous on the rush.
For the majority of this season, Misa has been playing alongside late 2006-born winger Porter Martone — who isn't draft eligible until 2025. Misa and Martone have been the bread and butter to the Steelheads offence, and they have been generating a large majority of it.
Martone's ability to finish combined with Misa's speedy play driving-ability has been critical to Mississauga's offence this season. Neither should have to wait long to hear their names called in their respective drafts.
The concerns with Misa surround his projection. As a smaller, quick play driver at this level, it can be difficult to see him as a top-six player at the next level. Misa will certainly be a project for the team that selects him. He will need a few more years of major junior development before we will be able to see where he can be an asset in an NHL lineup.
That being said, Misa has certainly been making it work at this level ever since he joined the OHL two seasons ago.
The Mississauga Steelheads are in great hands with the young talent of Luke Misa and Porter Martone, and they are set to be contenders for the next couple of seasons.