San Jose Sharks
Expert Post-Combine Projections: Misa Still Favorite for No. 2, But There Are Sleepers
The last hurdle for NHL prospects prior to the 2025 NHL Draft has passed in the Combine.
So how do Draft experts around the league see the San Jose Sharks picking at No. 2?
Well, Michael Misa remains at pole position (for No. 2), despite unspectacular Combine fitness results. Both Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman of The Athletic still project Misa going to the Sharks.
Pronman believes Misa is a possible “franchise-caliber center”, and while the San Jose Sharks already have young pivots Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, simply put, “the best forward in the class is Misa”.
Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson reported that at No. 3, the Chicago Blackhawks have been eyeing a move up to the New York Islanders’ No. 1 spot, likely because they don’t necessarily expect Misa to drop past the San Jose Sharks. Robinson believes the top of the Draft is set.
But Wheeler wasn’t quite as confident, instead presenting another possible option that he’s heard for the Sharks: The Moncton Wildcats’ Caleb Desnoyers.
The center comes from the QMJHL, where he recently won the Guy Lafleur Trophy for Playoff MVP.
“Desnoyers describes himself as a ‘competitive centerman who takes a lot of pride in all of the intangibles and the little details that people don’t always recognize,’” Scott Wheeler wrote.
“It’s probably still Misa (who remains the consensus guy even if it’s not absolute) here but don’t rule out Desnoyers,” he added in his post-Combine mock draft. Wheeler, by the way, projected the entire first round, so he also has a selection at No. 30 for San Jose.
Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala teased that the fast-rising Desnoyers will be in his top-four next week.
In much the same way as Wheeler, San Jose Hockey Now projects Misa to be the San Jose Sharks’ selection, but a SJHN source does believe two-way Swedish center Anton Frondell is in the mix for No. 2.
Frondell negated some teams’ questions about his fitness with a superior Combine performance, per FloHockey’s Chris Peters.
We’ll see if anything changes between now and the Jun. 27 Draft. But post-Combine, the thought still is that the Sharks will add Misa to their constellation of young centers.
Pronman’s ranking has Mrtka at 16. If he fell to that spot and Montreal’s top pick is in the table, that would be quite a score for taking on Price’s cap number. Might also be possible to get RFA Logan Mailloux instead, ever since I learned it’s only $2M of actual money the Sharks would need to pay to take the $10M cap hit, I’m now a lot more intrigued to see what might be there. I think the Habs are desperate to try to take a leap and the Sharks might be in the perfect spot to exploit that… Read more »
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/logan-mailloux-habs-debut-1.7175389
I knew about that. It was a stupid thing to do and he deserves to wear a scarlet letter for it. But if the team determined he had learned his lesson, I do believe in second chances. His comments that I’ve seen makes it appear he’s actually remorseful. But if the team goes another direction, I won’t bat an eye. But let’s just be honest with ourselves. When I was a kid, we didn’t have cameras everywhere, but kids today do. Those pics are flying around everywhere and a LOT of kids take part. Kid can play though. But honestly… Read more »
The day the Sharks initiate their strategy of acquiring guys because it’s such good asset management to get odious players cheaper than they’d be if they weren’t garbage is the day I jump ship.
Your excuse making about cameras everywhere these days is pretty lame.
You’re an old crotchety phuck. Trust me, the kids don’t live their lives the way you did in your day. Again, I don’t actually care about one particular guy and nowhere did I say they should get him because he’d be cheaper because he’s stained. So that part of your tsk tsking was just silly. So go ahead and tell this kid to get off your lawn. Virtue signal all you want. I’ll trust the team’s judgement and there are probably 10 other guys they can go get anyways. I don’t know enough about you, but if you have a… Read more »
I’ve gone blind! You showed your whole ass and now I can’t see anymore!
You say that as if you didn’t think that would make my week.
Dude. It was 5-years ago. He shared a naked photo. Was it a good thing to do? No. But you would assume people get more than one chance, man
Agreed 100%.
The Sharks traded for Raffi Torres.
Not like Dany Heatley and Evander Kane came with pristine resumes either.
Yeah those were terrible decisions.
To be clear, I don’t think anyone is advocating to bring terrible people into the organization (unless some of you are, I don’t know, but I’m not) What I am saying is sometimes young kids do really dumb things and then learn from them to become better people. The particular thing Mailloux did is something tens of thousands of dumb kids do every day. If this is a pattern and he’s not learning and improving himself, I wouldn’t want any part of that. But all he’s done in the years since then is play great hockey and knock on the… Read more »
Disagree.
Seems like an unreasonable response to what he wrote. He specifically said the team would have to decide basically that the kid did learned his lesson. Unless we’re talking about murder or just brutal cruelty, I don’t think anybody should be held liable for their entire life for something they did as a teenager. Lots of teenagers fuck up and go on to be become great humans.
Forgiveness is a weird thing in modern society. Its granted very unevenly.
I’ve long said I’m glad I’m not held accountable for dumb things I did when I was a teenager. I apply that standard for others.
I’m a huge believer in forgiveness, for those who recognize the wrongs/mistakes and come out as better people.
For some, the forgiveness bar is higher. But forgiveness needs to be there for most things and most people.
It is granted unevenly. You know who gets forgiven the most? Privileged white kids. Even moreso if you’re an athlete. And even moreso if all you did was violate some female. Boys will be boys, baby!
You can believe in second chances and also believe that you’d rather have someone else be the one to provide them. I don’t really give a shit about extending grace to the Logan Maillouxs of the world. They’re gonna get plenty of it, and plenty of people carrying water for them.
The solution is to do more forgiving, not less. Don’t be everything that people hate about coastal elites. Easy to say a guy doesn’t deserve forgiveness when it’s some other guy
Just by the nature of how it all works, if someone commits a crime and we as a society never forgive them, they become a burden on society for their rest of their lives. They are either in prison, out of prison committing more crimes, or they are living a life that doesn’t maximize their potential contribution to that society. So there is a real cost to not forgiving people, and that doesn’t matter what their background or skin color or any other details about them including whatever privilege you think they do or don’t have. More forgiving means less… Read more »
Yeah, whoever downvoted this you can go fuck yourself. You are the worst kind of human.
I definitely believe in a second chance in this instance, assuming the kid has learned his lesson.
this is nothing like that other kid that still got drafted after it came out that he tortured and harassed a disabled kid for years. In that instant that guy should never see a paycheck anywhere for something he loves. he should be digging holes and filling them up for the rest of his life
I’m a man, as are most of us responding to this comment. There are a lot of women who are fans of the Sharks. I don’t feel comfortable giving the player a pass, it’s not for me to say. As such, I’d prefer to keep the vibes clean here and avoid.
c’mon. live a little. The Oakland A’s back in the ’70s used to be at each others throats all the time. Clubhouse brawls were frequent. That team with all their infighting won 3 world series in a row. I’m gettin’ a little bored with the sanitized clubhouse chemistry smooth vibes as a goal. Let’s see something different. Will Smith will steal Macklin’s girlfriend and then they’ll no longer be good friends. Then Misa will come on board and steal her away from Smith and then we go some locker room dramas we can sink our teeth into. Hah
Go relive the glory days of Evander Kane’s time on the Sharks if you need whatever this feeling is.
Interesting sleepers. I hope they go for more upside. If not Misa, Martone. But it really should be Misa.
Again… It’s ok if it’s not Misa. It is not ok if they don’t make another team pay to move up.
The same article has speculation that Chicago wants to move up for Misa. If the Sharks determine the price is right, fine. If they pass on Misa and let Chicago get the milk without buying the cow… Not fine.
Outside of Misa and Schaefer, Frondell is the prospect I was pushing for at #3. But they got second, so Misa or Schaefer it is! Whew! I like the first, second and fourth line centers for the future but am not sold that there is an answer for 3C. I believe they can find the answer later in the first round or early in the second round of this draft. I am not a fan that thinks this draft is bad as I think it aligns (for the most part) with what the Sharks need. My thoughts are: Bottom six… Read more »
For me, the issue is all of that is 3 to 4 years of development away. I think most rebuilds fail because they don’t land the top end superstars who you can build around (note: I understand that this was not Buffalo’s problem). But the Sharks have 2 elite offensive guys, and possibly an elite defender as well. Now I think the team could possibly sign some free agents to some big money shorter term deals and take big strides this year at the Tank. Maybe they can win 15 more games and be the 10th worst team (they were… Read more »
Completely agree with your points. I constantly need to check myself as GMMG cannot (and said as much) fill all the holes this offseason. As you stated, I think he intends on winning more games as he also stated in the same presser that this last season was the last finishing at 32. But we as fans have to be realistic. If they jump 3-5 slots up I would be very happy. This would have to include prospects and young players taking a step forward and adding talent to the roster. As GMMG did for Asky in the AHL, I… Read more »
Yeah, I don’t think waiting should be the primary goal, but rather to give the right players the right money. If that’s this year, next year or the year after, bring in Mike Grier guys. And I think there’s opportunity to do a lot better than last year with Toffoli and Wennberg, though I will agree they were great pickups given the circumstances.
But from now on, if Mike Grier thinks a guy brings us closer to a cup, giddyup
I agree with that. He did say he would sign players, just not to expect four or five signings. Targeted. Like Wennberg and Toffoli. Were they overpaid? At the time most people would say yes. But their importance can’t be overstated as to the assistance in Celebrini’s and Smith’s development or building the culture of this Sharks team. Now, most fans are very happy with the signings and their contracts. I expect the same this offseason. A couple good targeted FA signings. Whether forwards or defenseman, the market will dictate that. Another thing to note is all of the defensive… Read more »
They better draft Misa!
Draft’s felt so far away for so long. Finally this morning got a look and was like “Oh, just 2.5 weeks to go.” Then free agency. It’s almost time.
Holy crap! It’s that soon? I haven’t paid attention to the actual date at all.
The NHL season is way too long. Having so many days between the conference finals and the Cup Final was nuts. I know, TV schedules. But it can’t be nearly a week when its already June.
Yesterday’s game was insane. The uber-physical game with a massive brawl, the Paul Maurice in-game interview. The Panthers impressive dominance. And unless you’re pretty hardcore, you’re not watching.
And that is sad because this Cup final is so much better than the NBA finals
I’m going game-to-game on it. Last night, once it was 2-0 Florida is was no longer enjoyable so I just checked in from time to time to see if it got better. It didn’t. I like me some brawls but not so much when it’s just one team throwing a tantrum because they’re getting the piss beat out of them and/or hoping to injure someone on the other team. I was pulling for EDM a bit but now it would also be pretty funny if they just flame out and get their asses whooped for two more games. I’m interested… Read more »
Updated rankings from 8 sources (Ellis, Fisher, Button, Wheeler, Baracinni, Elite Prospects, Dorrie, McKeen). Toss out high and low, average the rest. As before, the number is the average without the decimal piont, so if the average is 11.3, they’ll be listed at 11. Still 100% Schaefer at 1 followed by 100% for Misa at 2. 1 Schaefer 2 Misa 3 Martone, Hagens 4 5 Desnoyers, Frondell 6 7 8 Martin, Eklund 9 Jackson Smith 10 McQueen, O’Brien 11 Mrkta 12 13 14 Aitchesen, Carbonneau 15 16 Lakovic 17 Reschney, Bear, Cootes 18 19 20 Spence, Reid, Hensler 21 Kindel… Read more »
If you’re putting Wheeler in, Pronman is low hanging fruit, too.
He’s behind a paywall, using stuff I get on public sites.
I expect to add McKenzie and his compilation list based on scouts he knows, but that’s not out yet.
You can get NYT all access for $4 a month that includes games, Athletic and recipes. I don’t even even look at the actual NYT because it is hot garbage in a vacuum chamber. But I feel like I get my money’s worth otherwise.
If you just click to the reader it loads the articles thru the paywall.😉
Gut feel, in a draft with so many question marks past around 20, I’m guessing the bigger, more physical sorts gets snapped up (Zonnon/Vansaghi sorts). While the smaller and high skill (Potter/Kindel sorts) fall.
Watching the Cup Final is the last major impression on GMs. So if its a choice between snarl/size vs skill/agility, they’re going snarl and size in this portion of the draft.
How does Bader’s list change the ranking? Really enjoy this list, his model can seem like a black box but he gives great context for the placements.
https://hockeyprospecting.com/2025/06/10/the-hockey-prospecting-top-32-2025/
Holy shit! Yeah this dude looks like a solid prospect. If you really believe he’s another Barkov type player that’s a valuable guy to add.
Checked Smaht Scouting? I think that’s the only site I’ve seen where they have Misa over Schaefer.
Celebrini 3rd in the Calder voting. Sportswriters and their narratives are such a joke.
Most sportswriters are not smart people. I’m not sure 2nd place for a rookie of the year vote matters all that much, though. It was a strong group of rookies this year and Celebrini’s team had a terrible season, so I think that held him back a good amount. That and the injury.
They are mostly on the East Coast, so are asleep by the time Sharks play most of the time. They mostly watch the minimum number of games required to do their jobs, which means they don’t watch the last place team on the West Coast and base their votes on flashy numbers. “Which rookie had the most points? That’s the one I’ll vote for.” Personally, as much as I am a Sharks fan and like Celebrini, I thought Dustin Wolff was very deserving. It’s tough for a rookie goalie to be a starter, let alone try to drag your team… Read more »
I would argue that Celebrini should have been a lot closer to Wolf in the final tally, but once Hutson started breaking records he was essentially a lock for the Calder. Which, for the record, I believe was the correct call.
I didn’t think Celebrini was gonna win, Hutson was a foregone conclusion. Considering the Flames didn’t make the playoffs especially, I figured him for second. Which makes no difference, Celebrini didn’t win either way. Did suprise me he was only third though.
Maratone is our guy!! Perfect fit for our team. Notice last nite the defenseman we gor rid of got $10k in fines. Swinging his stick an spraying water at other teams bench. I’ll take the first rounder we got for that wussy! Drop the gloves tough guy swinging sticks nit impressive!!!
No way on Martone unless they trade down and even then I would rather Frondell.
They have wings a plenty, but IMO they still need a high level 3C, and the best in this draft is Frondell.
Unlike Mike Grier, I don’t have my own scouting staff. So I’m not really in a position to know what he knows.
But if Misa turns into a point-per-game guy and Grier passes on him to draft a future middle 6 tough guy thinking that’s the next Matthew Tkachuk, that’s going to be black mark on the resume.
Let me phrase it another way… The 2nd pick has a certain value and the only way to maximize the value by making the pick is to take Misa. If the team thinks any other player makes more sense, they need to trade down to take that player. They absolutely cannot take that guy at #2 because the perceived value of Misa is higher. I trust Grier, but if he takes someone other than Misa at #2, it is objectively a mistake if only because he didn’t maximize the asset
I believe GMMG (along with most GMs) places a higher value on centers than big physical wings.
So far, in all three of his drafts GMMGs’ first picks have been centers.
He’s only drafted big wingers late in the first or later rounds but who knows?
Whoever he chooses I have confidence will be a good fit.
I did not like the Smith pick at the time but looks like GMMG appears to have made the right choice.
Totally agree