The Saginaw Spirit’s Michael Misa has been named the recipient of the 2025 E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence.
First awarded in 2015, the award is introduced yearly by the League to a candidate who greatest exemplifies dedication to excellence by power of character, competitiveness and athleticism.
Misa had a sensational 2024-25 season as he led all CHL skaters with 134 factors whereas he scored 62 targets in simply 65 video games. The 18-year-old is simply the seventh first-year draft-eligible participant to win the CHL Prime Scorer award over the past 20 years.
His 134 factors are tied with Oshawa Generals graduate John Tavares (2006-07) for essentially the most by an OHL U18 skater since 2000 whereas he locations eighth for essentially the most factors in a single season over the past 20 years. The Oakville, ON., native’s 62 targets are the third-most by a first-year draft-eligible within the CHL since 2000.
“Michael Misa is the candidate most deserving of the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence as he demonstrated the athleticism, compete and character that defines this award in his pursuit to be the very best participant he might be,” stated Dan Marr, Director of NHL Central Scouting. “Receiving distinctive standing to play as a 15-year-old within the OHL is a particular honor that comes with excessive expectations and Michael excelled in navigating his manner ahead with a powerful degree of humility, consistency, and record-breaking play as one of many high prospects on this 12 months’s draft class.”
Misa was introduced with an engraved NHL crystal on the set of Sportsnet’s pregame present alongside Sportsnet host Ron MacLean and fellow high prospect Matthew Schaefer at Amerant Financial institution Enviornment earlier than Sport 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Ultimate.
Misa is the sixth CHL participant to win the award after Travis Konecny (2015), Nico Hischier (2017), Brett Leason (2019), Zayde Knowledge (2020) and Connor Bedard (2023).
Forward of the 2025 NHL Draft, Misa was listed because the no. 2 North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s Ultimate Rankings.
The New York Islanders personal the no. 1 choice for the 2025 NHL Draft whereas the San Jose Sharks will decide at no. 2. The 2025 NHL Draft will happen June 27-28 in Los Angeles on the Peacock Theater.
E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence Historical past
After a few years of teaching and scouting at numerous ranges of hockey, McGuire joined the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau in 2002 and assumed day-to-day accountability for the division in 2005. McGuire spearheaded an operation that offered scouting and analysis of draft-eligible gamers to NHL Member Golf equipment. He led a group of eight full-time and 15 part-time scouts all through North America. Simply as he introduced innovation to the teaching career all through his profession, McGuire was chargeable for a number of developments within the space of scouting throughout his 9 years on the League, together with the event of a brand new scouting expertise system that introduced the “artwork” of scouting to an entire new degree. He was instrumental in elevating each the effectiveness and profile of the League’s annual scouting mix. McGuire misplaced his brief, however brave battle with most cancers in April 2011.
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