Top San Jose Sharks prospect Michael Misa will play his first game for the San Jose Barracuda on Friday.
Misa suffered a strange injury during a morning skate on Nov. 5 in Seattle, and nobody knew anything other than it was a lower-body injury.
Now the Sharks forward is back and is in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda for a conditioning loan. The Sharks’ media policy does not allow injured players to be made available to the press. With Misa joining the Barracuda, the 18-year-old can be made available to the Sharks or San Jose Barracuda like any other player.
Following the end of the Barracuda’s practice on Thursday, Misa revealed what the injury was for the first time. The San Jose Sharks’ No. 2 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft said he suffered an ankle injury at the end of the morning skate.
“It was just at the end of practice. There was a weird play along the boards, and my ankle kind of shifted funny. I heard something right away,” Misa told reporters. “I knew there was something wrong, so I’m glad I’m back.”
Michael Misa skated on a line with Cameron Lund and Oliver Wahlstrom as he gets set to play in his first career AHL game tomorrow night.
Misa said he hasn’t heard from Hockey Canada about a possible invite to their upcoming World Juniors camp.
Can’t see him not being there,…
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) December 4, 2025
Misa was about to play in his 8th career NHL game that day, but had to shift his thinking completely. The young star said he worked on his upper body during his rehab time. For a young player, becoming stronger is critical to any future success they want to have in the NHL.
The San Jose Sharks will soon have to restart the thought process on Misa’s future for the 2025-26 season. Misa was placed on LTIR before he was loaned to the ‘Cuda, and can stay in the minors for up to two weeks. When he returns, if he plays more than nine games, a decision must be made.
Much like with Sam Dickinson’s 10th game, the Sharks have to think about their total contracts. Once Misa plays his 10th game, they will have 51 active contracts, one more than the NHL’s legal limit.
Misa can still be loaned back to his OHL team, the Saginaw Spirit. If the San Jose Sharks loan him back to Juniors, he cannot be recalled to the NHL until next season. There is also the case for Misa to play for Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Juniors, which start on Dec. 26.
Misa’s loan will end no later than Dec. 17, so he could play one or two games in the NHL again before being sent to play for Canada, if he makes the team. The other part of that situation is that the Sharks must loan him to Canada if he makes the team.
“I haven’t heard too much about World Juniors, to be honest. Gonna keep my ears open and focus on the upcoming weekend games,” Misa said. “It’s a huge honor any time you get to represent your country and compete against other countries to bring home the gold medal. It’s what you dream of as a little kid, so it’d be very cool.
I think everyone knows the stages of that tournament. I think what’s happened with Canada the last couple of years is not like us. If I do get the chance to help them out, it’ll be fun.”
SHD will be in attendance for both Barracuda games this weekend, keeping a close eye on Misa and his play.
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