MINNEAPOLIS — Michael Misa is used to scoring goals.
The skilled center finished last season with 134 points in 65 games in the Ontario Hockey League before the San Jose Sharks made him the No. 2 overall pick in June's NHL Entry Draft.
Misa earned a roster spot after training camp and then scored his first professional goal, but suffered an ankle injury in early November that sidelined him for a month.
Now, while looking to help Canada win gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships, he is still trying to find his footing on the international stage.
Misa recorded the only assist in two wins at the men's under-20 tournament – a 7-5 decision against the Czech Republic and a 2-1 overtime win against Latvia – as he recovers from a long layoff.
“I feel good,” the 19-year-old from Oakville, Ont., said Sunday at the team hotel. “I’d like to start producing more on my end, but I think it’s going to happen… just glad I’m healthy.”
Misa averaged 17 minutes, 35 seconds of ice time, primarily playing center on Canada's top line alongside Tij Iginla and Porter Martone (both scored in the first game), but knows he has a lot to give.
“We had images,” said Misa, who starred for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. “It's a process.”
And while the trio of Gavin McKenna, Michael Hage and Brady Martin led Canada's offense, the other three lines had a tough time providing consistent offense and zone time.
“We’re all from different leagues and different teams,” said the six-foot-one, 184-pound Misa. “We need to find chemistry and ways to beat teams that have been playing together for a while.”
Canadian assistant coach Gardiner MacDougall said the country's No. 1 center needs a “run” after playing just two games for the Sharks' AHL affiliate earlier this month before joining Canada as a late transfer.
“He’s going to find ways to get better,” McDougall said. “He's got more speed and he's got better puck control. These guys want the puck, have the puck. Give it away, get it back. They really want to be around the puck.”
Iginla and Martone combined for 15 shots in two matches, while Misa made just three.
“We're overhyped,” said Misa, who wasn't invited to last year's selection camp despite some flashy offensive numbers. “I, in particular, need to shoot more… I think in general we need to shoot more.”
McDougall said Canada, which continues to strive to return to the top of the podium after back-to-back quarterfinal exits, allowed Latvia to defend the middle of the ice instead of looking for weaknesses in tougher areas.
The colorful coach then used a Toronto Blue Jays analogy to explain what the staff would prefer to see in similar situations in the future.
“They gave up the singles home run,” he said of Canada's only Major League Baseball team. “And then when they got a couple on base, they hit a home run. I think (Saturday) night we could have played more singles, played when people were open. But when you're an experienced guy, you see an open game and you think, 'This is too easy.' I'm going to do better.”
“(The Latvians) probably played their game better than the game we wanted to play, but you can find a way to be one goal better.”
Canada now turns its attention to Monday's Group B tilt against Denmark after a 13-2 rout against the same opponent in the final pre-tournament game. However, the Danes played the Czech Republic tough early in the match, which ended in a 7-2 defeat on Saturday.
“It’s a good wake-up call,” McDougall said. “The biggest game of their tournament—the biggest game of their lives—is the Canada game.”
Misa, who had two assists in the exhibition win over Denmark, said the group would be focused solely on those 60 minutes.
“I don’t think anyone on our team should be overconfident,” he said. “They're going to give us their best.”
Meanwhile, Misa is still looking for him.
Soaking it up
McDougall, head coach of the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, gets his first opportunity to compete in a junior championship after three decades of watching it on television.
“It was really amazing,” said MacDougall, who also had a long and successful career at the University of New Brunswick. “Just to see how organized Hockey Canada is, the kind of staff we have and the talent we have among the players, it’s really nice to be a part of this team.”
And he has already made a big impression on the players.
“Great guy,” Canadian defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson said with a smile. “Super energetic. He brings the guys together, gets them working. I don't think I've ever met a guy like him.
“He’s one of the best coaches in hockey right now… he’s got the secret sauce.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2025.
