F Michael Misa - Saginaw Spirit, OHL (2025 Draft)

Thank you! It's unfortunately not available, but maybe one day 😊. I can however explain how it works:

Each isolated viewing of a player is evaluated based on around 80 skills and habits (I evaluate all I can, but I can't cover 100% each game 😅). I also assess the likelihood of reaching specific roles (elite, 1st line, top-6, etc.) based on that game alone. Each skill and projection have a different weight, depending on its importance and my personnal preference, and I also adjust the weight of each game to emphasize recent performances or account for certain matchups. So yeah... 1000 isolated viewings = 1000 lines on my Excel sheet. This is madness.

There are also other minor scores that I mostly use as tiebreakers (age, playertype...), but most of the score is simply Acquired Skills + Projection.

It’s a bit complex, but it helps me pinpoint strengths and weaknesses more easily, and I believe this approach helps maintain objectivity while also tracking trends, consistency, and progression (and simply because I'm a fcking nerd). Ultimately, though, the effectiveness of these evaluation tools depends on the quality of the data and observations we input, and the sample size.

Back to Misa, he scores high because my tool tends to reward complete, high-floor and high-energy players. Hagens, on the other hand, may have more holes in his game, but he's elite in the categories I value the most.

Any chance you can give more context to those assigned scores versus previous draft years/high end drafted forwards?
 
Any chance you can give more context to those assigned scores versus previous draft years/high end drafted forwards?
Not right now; the model is still evolving, so it’s hard to compare with previous years since the parameters and score ranges are different.

But I might retroactively add some recently drafted players at the end of the season just for fun. That could be interesting!
 
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Saginaw beats a very strong Windsor team 6-3. Misa with 2G + 2A. Chernyshov with a 2G + 1A
All Misa does is develop and get stronger as the year goes on. Can’t wait to see these two get used to playing with each other add Parekh and some high end talent on the ice will produce some points
 
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I still encounter people who are skeptical about Misa's talent. When was the last time we saw a near gpg, 2ppg center with good defense in his CHL draft year? Eric Lindros? This is crazy!
 
His tape sure looks great. Does he go straight to the NHL next year or do you think he might go to college for a year now that it is an option?
 
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His tape sure looks great. Does he go straight to the NHL next year or do you think he might go to college for a year now that it is an option?

I think it depends. College would be great, AHL too. But I feel like he's closer than Smith this year, for example. So if he goes to the Blackhawks or Sharks, I would let him play. Chicago is bad enough that he can help immediately, whether at center or on the wing. The Sharks have a very young team and don't have many aspirations for next year yet. They would probably be in the last 5 again and would have the opportunity to fight for McKenna or Verhoeff (who seems like an insane defender to me, to make up for Schaeffer's non-choice, for example).
 
What impresses me most about Misa is that in addition to his high-level skill set, he has incredible versatility. He started the season flying low in goals and some skeptics said he created less than expected, but in reality it was the team that needed him to be more of a scorer, as the season progressed and his teammates started to score, he started to play more of a playmaking role, especially after Chernyshov arrived. Currently second in goals and assists in the league. What a Player!
 
He has not slowed down wow! I was expecting him to slow down to be honest, especially his goal scoring considering he's been at/near goal per game for pretty much all of the season. Definitely giving it his all to make it a debate for him to go #1, quite encouraging, could've easily been one of those guys who maybe slow down or lose encouragement after his impressive OHL rookie season and then the statistical decline last year, obviously due to deployment but still.
 


This is from the Brantford game on Friday night. I and others can post great stat lines all we want but I could watch this play all day. Misa gets zone entry. Controls the puck through the middle of the ice. Looks off a defender. So often in Saginaw's system they may drop off back to the blue line after entry. Misa knows the defender is looking for that. Freezes him for a split second. Accelerates around the end, Uses the other Bulldog defender as a pick. Protects the puck again. All 3 defenders watch him start to go below the goal line. Meanwhile he knows Chernyshov is left unmarked out front. Passes to a wide open Chernyshov for the goal. The combo of athletics, skill, and IQ.
 
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This is from the Brantford game on Friday night. I and others can post great stat lines all we want but I could watch this play all day. Misa gets zone entry. Controls the puck through the middle of the ice. Looks off a defender. So often in Saginaw's system they may drop off back to the blue line after entry. Misa knows the defender is looking for that. Freezes him for a split second. Accelerates around the end, Uses the other Bulldog defender as a pick. Protects the puck again. All 3 defenders watch him start to go below the goal line. Meanwhile he knows Chernyshov is left unmarked out front. Passes to a wide open Chernyshov for the goal. The combo of athletics, skill, and IQ.

One of my concerns/questions about Misa was his decision making process and IQ. He seems to have improved leaps and bounds in that department. It should surprise or shock no one, considering the way he has played this season, if he is the first forward taken in the upcoming draft.
 
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