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

[Mathieukferland]

The team Celebrini was on also finished fifth. Blaming Cameron was low-hanging fruit for Canadians who needed a scapegoat.

The truth is Misa did not make the team and it’s more reasonable to think it was for specific reasons related to his game than it is to think his omission prevented Canada from another embarassment.

This isn’t the world junior thread so I’ll make that brief, but Celebrini being the 4th line centreman and Létang riding Minten into the ground with Celebrini sat on the bench in the 2024 tournament, and the fact the clueless, ringless idiot Anholt built both teams probably is more of an indictment on the dinosaur management philosophy of him and management than it is on THE LEADING SCORER IN THE COUNTRY that yes, whilst he was warts in his game, definitely belonged there over plugs and homer picks like Howe and Pinelli amongst many. There’s another
forward prospect that will go in a similar range to Misa that didn’t make his world junior team as a 17 year old, and (with good reason) no one makes the contention that should be held against him, so it’s « deux poids deux mesures » that somehow the fact a band of buffoons didn’t even invite the leading scorer in the country to camp gets that held against him.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Somehow I'm not surprised that this discussion turned out to be about Hagens all along. Certain posters sure are passionate about this prospect.

To be honest, I'm not particularly invested in either of these prospects, and I'm not interested in derailing this thread into another "CHL conspiracy" shitshow like the Button thread. If you feel Hagens should go ahead of Misa, that's fine. We'll see what happens in June.

Pointing out valid shortcomings in Misa's game and how it relates to the way Hagens is criticized is definitely not “derailing this thread”.

This thread made no mention of his two terrible games until I brought it up. Unsurprisingly, mainstream types who were so quick to criticize Hagens and Frondell have said nothing about Misa’s disappearing act against Erie. It’s weird, sorry.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

This isn’t the world junior thread so I’ll make that brief, but Celebrini being the 4th line centreman and Létang riding Minten into the ground with Celebrini sat on the bench in the 2024 tournament, and the fact the clueless, ringless idiot Anholt built both teams probably is more of an indictment on the dinosaur management philosophy of him and management than it is on THE LEADING SCORER IN THE COUNTRY that yes, whilst he was warts in his game, definitely belonged there over plugs and homer picks like Howe and Pinelli amongst many. There’s another
forward prospect that will go in a similar range to Misa that didn’t make his world junior team as a 17 year old, and (with good reason) no one makes the contention that should be held against him, so it’s « deux tailles deux mesures » that somehow the fact a band of buffoons didn’t even invite the leading scorer in the country to camp gets that held against him.

These are excuses. Canadians literally used this same line of thinking toward Binnington after the loss to the U.S., saying Cooper sucks and he took the wrong goalie. How about Canada at the last two WJCs just weren’t good enough and neither was Misa, at least not in 2025?

The staff obviously knew Misa was a top CHL scorer and chose against taking him. Martone was producing at practically the same rate, made the team, and was healthy scratched twice. So no, it’s not a good look for a prospect when a staff agrees, for the most part, that he was not worthy of a slot.

 

[Mattb124]

Semantics. I say cut meaning he wasn’t good enough for the roster. The staff knew about him and chose to omit him. In retrospect, they weren’t necessarily wrong since it’s not likely Misa by himself would have made a difference. Sennecke was a different story.

That isn’t semantics, it’s misrepresentation. A player has to invited onto a team to be cut.

 

[Mathieukferland]

How about Canada at the last two WJCs just weren’t good enough

In 2024 yes, they weren’t good enough, it was not a very good year with everyone gone and it was accentuated by how they used Celebrini. 2025 though was craziness, they had by far the best player pool available to them and decided against using it. I’ve never seen such incompetence in management and the people I know in junior and NHL circles all said the same thing. Who knows if it would have made a difference with Dave Cameron coaching anyway, but players like Misa definitely would have redressed the lack of scoring from plugs. Anyways to conclude I can assure you that no one’s opinion of him was swayed by not making the WJC camp, a potentially bad series outcome vs Erie and subsequent u18 would hold enormously more weight than being cut by a last place GM in the WHL and a last place coach in the OHL.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

That isn’t semantics, it’s misrepresentation. A player has to invited onto a team to be cut.

Either one is negative. It wasn’t an oversight as many Canadians claimed it to be. Even in November there was a visible disparity between his elite scoring and everything else. But nobody wanted to talk about it except me.

Look what we’re seeing now. He was basically double-shifted for long stretches in Game 3. All that ice time and it was still hard to watch.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Yeah no Schaefer is great but he is in no way better than Dahlin as a prospect.



Dahlin did this as a 16 year old in a top 3 men’s league on the planet.
Schaefer at 16 scored 17 points in the OHL. You can’t really compare that.

Schaefer is my number one prospect in this draft but he is not better than Dahlin.

Sean Day and Joe Veleno had exceptional status in the CHL. Aatu Raty was pre-ordained the 1st overall pick of 2021 at age 16.

What a player does in seasons prior to their draft year isn’t the be-all-end-all. When I look at their draft years, Schaeffer is every bit as good as Dahlin.

 

[ColbyChaos]

Imagine trying to use a team Canada squad that played awful, left many of their best players at home, lost to Slovakia, and DIDNT EVEN MEDAL as an argument against Misa lmao

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Imagine trying to use a team Canada squad that played awful, left many of their best players at home, lost to Slovakia, and DIDNT EVEN MEDAL as an argument against Misa lmao

Totally valid as long as Misa continues to struggle in the playoffs. Coach should be asked if he thinks the pressure is getting to him, since he probably knows best. If it continues, we could see him labeled as a choker. Not saying he is or will, but you can bet scouts at the combine will grill him over the playoffs. We do the same to Matthews to this day.

 

[Mattb124]

Either one is negative. It wasn’t an oversight as many Canadians claimed it to be. Even in November there was a visible disparity between his elite scoring and everything else. But nobody wanted to talk about it except me.

The salient point is one isn't the other, which is what you errantly claimed. A player that wasn't selected can't be cut.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

The salient point is one isn't the other, which is what you errantly claimed. A player that wasn't selected can't be cut.

Lol no, as I’m pretty sure Misa not being considered for Team Canada despite averaging over two points a game is the salient point. Whether he was left off the camp roster or invited only to be cut is nothing more than a formality.

 

[ello]

I do think Misa does get away with a lot more on these boards than a guy like Hagens, probably largely in part to his stats and larger stature. His shortcomings never seem to be discussed for some reason

 

[ColbyChaos]

Lol no, as I’m pretty sure Misa not being considered for Team Canada despite averaging over two points a game is the salient point. Whether he was left off the camp roster or invited only to be cut is nothing more than a formality.

Again using the management clowns who made that 4th place roster as if they made the right choice is downright hilarious. I’m honestly starting to think Misa bullied your son in grade school or something because trying to pretend that Team Canada made the right choice leaving him out of the lineup is downright hilarious.

They didn’t medal they lost to Slovakia and that same management group already left a lot of other more talented players at home as well. Yet here you are acting like Team Canada making a dumbass decision is an actual bad mark on Misa.

It would be like arguing that Torts and co made the right choice leaving Kessel and co off of Team USA to take Justin Abdelkaider

 

[Juxtaposer]

Pointing out valid shortcomings in Misa's game and how it relates to the way Hagens is criticized is definitely not “derailing this thread”.

This thread made no mention of his two terrible games until I brought it up. Unsurprisingly, mainstream types who were so quick to criticize Hagens and Frondell have said nothing about Misa’s disappearing act against Erie. It’s weird, sorry.

Check post #885. Unless you blocked me for calling out your hypocrisy in the Hagens thread, which would be genuinely funny, Steve.

 

[Mathieukferland]

Check post #885. Unless you blocked me for calling out your hypocrisy in the Hagens thread, which would be genuinely funny, Steve.

Oh this is Steve? This makes more sense now

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Check post #885. Unless you blocked me for calling out your hypocrisy in the Hagens thread, which would be genuinely funny, Steve.

Yeah, well I brought it up in post #871 right after the games were played. How do you like them apples? Convenient that you waited until afterward and then tried the whole “this is the worst he’s looked all season” nonsense when I said the same criticisms back in November and December.

Watch.
The.
Games.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Again using the management clowns who made that 4th place roster as if they made the right choice is downright hilarious. I’m honestly starting to think Misa bullied your son in grade school or something because trying to pretend that Team Canada made the right choice leaving him out of the lineup is downright hilarious.

They didn’t medal they lost to Slovakia and that same management group already left a lot of other more talented players at home as well. Yet here you are acting like Team Canada making a dumbass decision is an actual bad mark on Misa.

It would be like arguing that Torts and co made the right choice leaving Kessel and co off of Team USA to take Justin Abdelkaider

They weren’t good enough. Period. Misa being left off has aged well considering how inconsistent his play has been in key areas both before and after.

The Canadian staff had more than one valid reason to omit Misa. Was it because:

a) He frequently turns pucks over?
b) He showed a lack of maturity with the Teddy Bear Toss incident and was suspended for it?
c) Is an erratic passer?
d) McKenna was more deserving?
e) Martone offered more size?
f) Center was a position of strength?

All are true. So again, how is this on the staff? Misa is literally validating his omission right before our eyes.

Back-to-back 5th place finishes with two different cohorts under two different coaches and Russia being banned. And Canada’s 2005 birth year was heralded as strong with or without Bedard.

That’s called a trend. They just weren’t good enough, and there’s little reason to think Misa would have been a difference maker as a fourth-liner. Martone was producing at the same rate, picked for Team Canada, played on the fourth line, and then proceeded to get scratched twice, once against Germany.

 

[Kingpin794]

I do enjoy when an argument that hinges on A) that most people are rational actors and B) people only make decisions that will bring them a net benefit. Neither of which are true quite often. People are irrational animals that make bad decisions all the time and sometimes there isn't a good reason for it.

 

[Lumber]

Not really wanting to get involved in this minor skirmish however it reminds me of looking up the answer to a math problem in the back of the book and working to put some shit together to get there.

Canada's last U20 was missing half a roster of players that probably should have been there, the year before at least 6-7 players were missing as the tournament started through injury and players playing in the the NHL. I won't even comment on the coaching provided at the past years event.

 

[Lumber]

Forgive my failing memory but with the 2023-2024 U20 Team Canada was missing Bedard, Benson, Fantilli, Wright, Korchinski, and lost Luneau and or Molendyk or Yamemchuk before the tournament and Savoie during it.

This past year was notable for the number of top calibre players missing plus the misuse of many of those that were on the roster throughout the tournament.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Yeah, well I brought it up in post #871 right after the games were played. How do you like them apples? Convenient that you waited until afterward and then tried the whole “this is the worst he’s looked all season” nonsense when I said the same criticisms back in November and December.

Watch.
The.
Games.

November and December, sure. I guarantee you I've watched more Saginaw games than you since January. Not that it matters, since you're totally incapable of discussing a player with shortcomings rationally.

Indeed, I waited until after more than one game was in the books before launching a critique. You should try it some time.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

November and December, sure. I guarantee you I've watched more Saginaw games than you since January. Not that it matters, since you're totally incapable of discussing a player with shortcomings rationally.

Indeed, I waited until after more than one game was in the books before launching a critique. You should try it some time.

You’ve never posted a criticism of Misa in this thread unless someone else brought it up, and even then you dismiss it as insignificant because you desperately want him on the Sharks. The few Hawks fans on here are acting the same way, but this is the main boards, not some team draft thread echo chamber. Not my problem you’ve all been ignoring (or pretending to ignore) Misa’s issues. But then again, the media’s been clueless toward Misa as well, so maybe that explains it.

You make excuses for Misa and it took my post of spotlighting his horrid playoff play for you to chime in, and even then you caveat it with his draft stock being fine despite (according to you) playing his worst hockey of the season, and then admitting you didn't watch him play that much in November and December, which is a third of the season. Make it make sense.

You also contradict yourself. First you say in this very thread that his game took off after Chernyshov arrived, and then you agreed with me (of all people) shortly thereafter when I pointed out Misa was mostly a passenger and Chernyshov looked and played better, and was carrying the line. Make it make sense.

I realize you’re a self-admitted Misa fanboy and are anchored to him. Totally fair. But it’s not my problem you failed to pick up Misa’s bad habits as far back as the fall, which is when I began documenting it. You’re acting like the Erie series is an outlier and it most certainly isn’t.

 

[Juxtaposer]

You’ve never posted a criticism of Misa in this thread unless someone else brought it up, and even then you dismiss it as insignificant because you desperately want him on the Sharks. The few Hawks fans on here are acting the same way, but this is the main boards, not some team draft thread echo chamber. Not my problem you’ve all been ignoring (or pretending to ignore) Misa’s issues. But then again, the media’s been clueless toward Misa as well, so maybe that explains it.

You make excuses for Misa and it took my post of spotlighting his horrid playoff play for you to chime in, and even then you caveat it with his draft stock being fine despite (according to you) playing his worst hockey of the season, and then admitting you didn't watch him play that much in November and December, which is a third of the season. Make it make sense.

You also contradict yourself. First you say in this very thread that his game took off after Chernyshov arrived, and then you agreed with me (of all people) shortly thereafter when I pointed out Misa was mostly a passenger and Chernyshov looked and played better, and was carrying the line. Make it make sense.

I realize you’re a self-admitted Misa fanboy and are anchored to him. Totally fair. But it’s not my problem you failed to pick up Misa’s bad habits as far back as the fall, which is when I began documenting it. You’re acting like the Erie series is an outlier and it most certainly isn’t.

Why are you straight up lying?

I agreed with a post of yours (#772) saying, and I quote: "My only knock on Misa remains consistent pass accuracy". I replied, and I quote: "I think that's a fair criticism of Misa. He's not really a high-end playmaker. I'd say Misa is more of an F1/F3 hybrid than an F2. He can create plenty of offense on his own just fine, but he's really unlocked when you pair him with a high-end playmaker like Chernyshov" in post #775. You are straight up fabricating accusations, which is crazy because the posts are literally right there for anyone to see.

I didn't agree with you that Misa was a passenger, I didn't agree that Chernyshov was carrying the line, and I most certainly am not a Misa fanboy (IYKYK). And I certainly didn't read your post about Misa before making my own criticism.

Moreover, I have called out Misa on cold stretches, and I have pushed back consistently when people suggest that Misa is on the same level as Celebrini, the same way I do when people suggest Hagens is on the same level as Celebrini. I have stated that Misa isn't a future superstar and the fact that I have him ranked 2nd is a product of how weak this draft is, not me thinking Misa is elite.

I'm a "fanboy" of Schaefer. I'm a "fanboy" of Parekh. I'm a "fanboy" of Malcolm Spence. There are certainly many players you could accuse me of liking irrationally more than is reasonable. I just happen to post about Misa a lot because I watch Saginaw a lot and am a fan of a team in the NHL lottery. Don't get it twisted to fit your narrative, despite how funny it is for you to make that claim given your affection for Hagens.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Why are you straight up lying?

I agreed with a post of yours (#772) saying, and I quote: "My only knock on Misa remains consistent pass accuracy". I replied, and I quote: "I think that's a fair criticism of Misa. He's not really a high-end playmaker. I'd say Misa is more of an F1/F3 hybrid than an F2. He can create plenty of offense on his own just fine, but he's really unlocked when you pair him with a high-end playmaker like Chernyshov" in post #775. You are straight up fabricating accusations, which is crazy because the posts are literally right there for anyone to see.

I didn't agree with you that Misa was a passenger, I didn't agree that Chernyshov was carrying the line, and I most certainly am not a Misa fanboy (IYKYK). And I certainly didn't read your post about Misa before making my own criticism.

Moreover, I have called out Misa on cold stretches, and I have pushed back consistently when people suggest that Misa is on the same level as Celebrini, the same way I do when people suggest Hagens is on the same level as Celebrini. I have stated that Misa isn't a future superstar and the fact that I have him ranked 2nd is a product of how weak this draft is, not me thinking Misa is elite.

I'm a "fanboy" of Schaefer. I'm a "fanboy" of Parekh. I'm a "fanboy" of Malcolm Spence. There are certainly many players you could accuse me of liking irrationally more than is reasonable. I just happen to post about Misa a lot because I watch Saginaw a lot and am a fan of a team in the NHL lottery. Don't get it twisted to fit your narrative, despite how funny it is for you to make that claim given your affection for Hagens.

You opened your response to my post that criticized Misa for several things (like not driving play and being a passenger) with “I think that's a fair criticism of Misa.” You certainly didn’t refute what I said about Chernyshov.

So you either agree that I’m right (which I was) that Chernyshov drove the line (which he did), or you think Misa did drive his line (which is wrong).

Make up your mind.

 

[Kingpin794]

Misa is a MAJOR piece that makes the line go. He was for 60% of the season before Chernyshov even stepped into the line up. But even outside of that, it’s isn’t a one man makes the line work thing. They play off each other. It’s super arbitrary to say this guy runs the line/this guy is a passenger.