2025 NHL Draft Media Availability (6/27)

2025 NHL Draft Media Availability (6/27)

number two uh a while ago Okay Um a while ago Okay Uh any timeline exactly when a while ago means no it means a while ago We were we were pretty sure he was he was uh number two on our list for quite a while
Okay Um what about uh Michael uh separate you know separated himself from any other guys that you guys might have considered um I think just you know the benefit of watching him over you know last three years and just seeing how he’s grown and developed and matured Um his ability on both sides of the puck his offensive instincts Um then you get a chance to spend time with him meet him go through our process that we do and it’s awful lot to like about Michael and we’re really excited And with the your second first round pick you drafted a goalie uh which might be a surprise just because you obviously have uh Ascarov um you know ready to to take the reigns there Can you just talk about that decision to go with Josh yeah I mean I think uh the scouts have done their work their homework throughout the year the last two years really and uh you know as we we just kind of followed our board He was the best player available at the board and on our board and uh you know it wasn’t something we’re still at the stage we’re not drafting for whatever other people might think our need is in the organization We’re we’re taking the best player here
All right Thanks for now Max Hey guys thanks for doing this Um you know you guys rated Misa pretty high Where do you see him as a as a comparable NHL player i know there’s been some talk of like Tiveres What do What do you guys like about his game the most well I mean it’s you know it’s not really fair to a lot of these kids to put these comps on him but I think he just plays a a 200 foot game plays with a lot of speed drives play and you know he’s a dual threat can score and shoot uh and make plays and uh competes hard So you know he’s got pretty much everything you look for in at someone in the middle of the rink So uh you know we’re excited to be able to get him You guys look at the center depth now I mean with Will getting a shot at center and Mac and and El Misa and the treat for Austin Chuck I know you wanted to build down the middle through the center How do you like the way it’s shaping up as you go through this rebuild
yeah these are uh good players and they’re all uh kind of unique in their own ways So we’re excited to have them all as you as you kind of see in the playoffs you need center depth and and even now when you on your other side of it when you look around in the trade market and in free agency um you know finding good centers it’s it’s a hard thing to do When you look at uh Ravensburg and right he catches right-handed Did that maybe go into the thinking a little bit right Like you’ve got Ascarov who catches right-handed It’s kind of a little bit easier in that sense maybe What was the thought did that play a role into it picking him
um no not really It was just uh the talent and the um and the um you know the mindset and that part of the kid It’s uh didn’t really have anything to do with which way he catches Thanks for John Uh hey Mike John Warl with the AP Um with the young core that you have and knowing that you said you know it looks like we’re turning the corner this past week um after this first round and after this draft what’s the next challenge in taking the next step for for a team that’s got a lot of youth yeah we got to surround them with the right pieces You know we it’s we don’t want to put too much on these kids and feel like they they got to carry the franchise So we got to surround them with the right pieces right vets uh the right guys that are maybe in their mid20s or so But we got to put some pieces around them and and keep building Um and not not uh get complacent in any in any uh parts in the organization you know from myself to the coaching staff to the players you know to get better and turn the corner Everyone’s got to put in the work and and be willing to push themselves and and try and be better every day So it’s uh a lot of it’s going to go into it for us getting better
I get that Um and one last thing just about the overall draft and this whole decentralized thing Were there any challenges that you encountered and and and might there be a a want or desire to go back to the old way no I I you know I thought it went pretty smoothly for the most part for us and the scouts and Chris and Fitzy here I think it’s uh it was kind of nice to be able to just kind of talk freely joke around get up walk around you know have all your your analytic stuff and and value things and charts and and lists having all that stuff in front of in front of you readily without having to kind of worry about another team seeing it Um so all that stuff there was a lot of positives for it for sure Thank you so much
Thanks
Dan Yeah Mike hopefully you can hear me Um Michael Mesa was pretty clear on his desires to play in the NHL next season uh as quickly as he as he can I’m curious when you drafted him is it an intention of yours to see to to have him in the NHL next season is that something that you know in your line of thinking that that you think this kid can do
well his play will dictate it really Um you know and I wouldn’t expect him to say anything different you know he’s a he’s an ultra competitive kid who’s been playing up a up a level up a birth year his whole life So um you know he wants to be the best He wants to play against the best So um I’m sure this is what he wants to do But you know we’re not going to hand him anything He’s got to come into training camp and try and take a job and earn a spot So we’ll uh we’ll just kind of see how it goes But his his play and how he does will dictate how things go Just just to follow up on that real fast I mean
what is it
we we know the player
Tell us about the person that you guys got to know uh through the course of this process that you know that that drive that he has Did that come through in in the conversations you have with him
it came through I’ll let um I’ll let uh Fitzy and Chris kind of speak on it some more They spent some time with him as well
Yeah I found that he was a high character kid Uh comes from a good family Um obviously he’s a he’s a good player but I think the character the drive um he wants this and so far in his career he’s uh you know he’s done a lot and checked a lot of boxes for himself Yeah And I think just to add on that with you look at what kids go through and we talk about being able to handle pressure of the NHL Mike mentioned how he always played a year up Um for me watching him as he got pushed to the wing last year he won a Memorial Cup They challenged him came back gave him the number one center they asked him to put up numbers asked him to produce and he did that Um so I just think the fact that he’s been able to show against older kids and what he’s able to do you can see the drive and the competitiveness and the the continued want to be the best And those are all really key things If you want kids to hit their potential they have to have that overachieving mentality I think this kid has it Thanks guys Curtis um either for for Chris or Fitzy but Michael talked about the meeting you know the dinner you guys had in Buffalo and he said it was just so relaxed and he felt really comfortable um uh and just being in just hanging out with you guys for for a while Uh did that meeting kind of solidify your belief that this is the this is the right player to to bring into the Sharks organization um I think I’ve said it a couple times you know I think the combine for for us scouts we you know we we don’t just use that as as kind of the end all be all of getting to know them We have area scouts that go out and interview the kid before We have a process in place So we want to create an environment that kids have are relaxed and enjoy themselves because I’ve never met a kid that responds well when they’re really uncomfortable and and not in the mix So for for us it was just try to get to know the kid create an environment where they come in and it’s like having dinner with your family And I think we use that time to just kind of spend time with them and make sure we know everything and we’re checking all the boxes But certainly that was part of it but it’s not all that goes into it
Uh yeah it’ll be you know for for Mike Was there ever already consideration of of moving the pick either either uh you know down you to collect maybe more assets or uh bring in a player to help you rise right away was was ever a consideration did any other teams get in touch with you at all yeah I mean a few teams uh you know they they called about uh about the pick and and we kind of went over some scenarios and and what the offers were but um you know at the end of the day we just felt that uh Michael was just too special of a player to for us to pass on So um you know to have an opportunity to have him and Mlin and uh and Will and Ekie and Sam and all these guys to kind of grow together and ask um you know especially having the strength down the middle like you guys touched on earlier we just um we just thought it was it was uh too much of a special opportunity for us to pass up And going off the fact that Michael wants to start his NHL career right away here what does he need to show you or or anybody that you know he’s ready to to maybe make that leap from uh you know from the OHL to the NHL is there any specific things you you look for to to you know maybe judge whether a player is ready to sort of make that jump well um there’s a couple things you know your decision making as uh and he’s a really cerebral smart player high IQ but um you know when you get out there and it’s at NHL pace and things are happening faster um than you’re used to can you think and keep up and your decision- making stay on point um and then another thing especially for him uh if he’s going to be in the middle is um can you defend and can you play against you know bigger heavier D type thing can you get to the middle a ice and do things that you’re been accustomed to against you know bigger stronger players So we’ll look at those things but um you know it’s on like I said it’ll be up to him He’s got he’s got he’s got the talent and everything but you know we’re not going to put any pressure on him at all and we’ll just see how it how camp and everything goes uh for Chriser Fitz Um you know what stands out about Josh’s game like what was was there a specific maybe moment or uh a time where you said you know this this kid looks like he could be worthy of of a first round pick yeah No he’s a big kid He’s athletic Um he just he just looks the part you know We did a little more background with uh the interview process good kid good character like we said earlier and uh he’s just a big athletic kind of prototypical today’s goalie And as you look ahead to tomorrow obviously start right away at number 33 Are there Mr you know feel that there’s some players there that could uh uh you know really help the organization and and are there do does the shift maybe turn to looking for maybe specific needs within the team um you know I think at 33 we we feel like we’re going to get a you know a really good player there someone we really like Um and then you know we’ll kind of see how the board shakes out You know there maybe there’s you know maybe there’s a need somewhere along the line but you know for the most part we’re trying to stay away from drafting for need Um we still you know it’s not the NFL or the NBA These kids are all going to need some time when you get into day two need some time to develop and and grow their games and get stronger and mature and everything So um you know I think we’ll we’ll follow our board and our list and and and kind of take the guys as they come
All right Thank you We’ll take some final round of questions starting with Noah Yeah Speaking to Michael’s mindset what did it tell you guys that when he wasn’t invited by Canada ahead of the World Juniors he took it in stride turned his attention to the team he was playing for and had a uh quite a second half surge in productivity What did that tell you about how he you know how he operates just how how his mind works
yeah I just think it shows the maturity the kid has really um you know the focus and the drive that he has So um he was able to kind of turn the page and put his focus on his on his club team and and uh you know being a leader and captain for that team at a young age Um I think that definitely shows some maturity to be able to kind of put some of your personal goals aside and put the team first and u you know he obviously did that and went on a you know kind of continued his tear in the second half of the year Thanks Chang Uh about Michael um what I guess what is your thought about I guess the best course for him next year you know CHL or NCAA Um if it is NCAA I’m not sure if he has to kind of decide on that sooner than even before training camp but just anything you guys can say about that no not much which I think will um you know we’ll let him enjoy the night with his family and and friends and then um you know that’s more of a discussion for for myself and the development staff um and him him and his family and his his uh his agents and stuff to all kind of sit down and have a a bigger conversation So you know now um unfortunately is for you guys it’s not you know it’s not the right time for me to kind of get into that stuff with about him Uh do you guys project him more as a center or wing in the future or his play will dictate that um I mean I think he can stay in the middle with his with his brain and this his skating and uh the way he plays on the defensive side of the puck Um I’ll let you know Chris Chris can probably talk more about it He’s with all the games he’s watched him but um we think he can stay there
Yeah I think I think we we project him as a center I think one thing that makes us even more comfortable when we’re talking about you know his versatility and his ability to play on both play on the wing that he showed you know in younger years the year before So um I agree with Mike I think his defensive play as isn’t as talked about as much because of the offensive production but he does have strength He does have ability to maintain and hold in the middle of the ice So um obviously yes it will be up to him but we are projecting him as a center And the last one for me about Josh um specifically for Scott or Chris you guys talked about sort of a lot about his physical attributes but obviously for a goalie uh you know between the ears really important Just what did you guys learn about him just mentally um and just like his his uh his attributes there yeah I mean we we’re really fortunate enough to have a lot of people that can help us out and we have great goalie guys who spent some time with him interviewed him and I think again with him he’s gone through a lot in his life as a young kid He lost someone close to him in terms of his process and and a goalie coach And I think when you saw what the potential of what could be there and I think you have a young kid that’s looking for for guidance he’s looking for coaching he’s looking for help And I think in terms of the athletic and the raw ability he has the right mindset to to work on those tools and get better So it’s really exciting with that wingspan with that lateral mobility and that size to go along with a kid that really wants it and and I think he wasn’t drafted in the Western League He wasn’t he’s kind of been always second guessed and doubted and that’s that’s also another thing I think he has going in his favor We’ll finish up here with Eric Yeah Hey guys um I have a uh just one question for either Chris or Fitz Um obviously Mlin was pretty much a slam dunk number one last year but with these high picks that you’ve had in recent years I’m just curious if uh what’s what’s the energy energy like when you’re discussing uh those selections with uh with your people in the room in advance of that uh you know does it does it get spirited does it um is there a different energy that comes with it as opposed to you know say when you’re making the later selections and and whatnot you can have that one
Yeah Honestly I we encourage our scouts to be as excited from the last pick in the draft to the first one And and I know that sounds crazy and unrealistic but you only get normal year you only get seven picks and the kids are spread out all over the world You want your scouts to have passion Um but Mike has created an environment here where everybody has an opportunity to say things if they know the player talk about the players but it’s also done in a in a respectful and I’m not a big conflict guy I don’t want to get in yelling matches but I want to talk about players and make sure we get it right And I think that’s what’s really great about here in our process is that we do take as much time with that second pick as we will for the seventh round pick we take next year And we take a lot of pride in that So I think conversations are great dialogue are great but we’re not we’re not usually screaming and yelling at each other because there’s other ways to get your point across Okay thanks everyone Appreciate you taking the time to join Uh we’ll keep you updated on any availabilities tomorrow as they happen Thanks everyone

The Sharks Hockey Operations staff, including General Manager Mike Grier, speak to the media following the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft on June 27, 2025.