The San Jose Sharks signed top prospect Michael Misa to a standard three-year entry-level contract Wednesday, clearing the way for the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to challenge for a roster spot.

Misa’s base NHL salary is $877,500 per year, according to PuckPedia, and he can earn as much as $3.25 million a year in performance and honors or awards bonuses. His yearly signing bonus is $97,500.

Misa was a dominating force in the Ontario Hockey League last season. He led the league with 134 points in 65 regular-season games. He scored 62 times in 2024-25 after netting 22 and 29 goals in his previous two OHL seasons, respectively.

The 18-year-old Misa was once in the running to be 2025’s top draft selection. Standout defenseman Matthew Schaefer ultimately went No. 1 to the New York Islanders.

While there were rumblings ahead of the draft that the Sharks were intrigued with forwards Anton Frondell and Porter Martone, Misa proved difficult to pass on given his combination of offensive skill, playmaking, terrific hockey sense and heady play in all three zones.

Both the Sharks and Misa had a preference to get the deal done, even though it took time, as he could have gone to college instead. There was much speculation over Misa possibly attending Penn State, a Big Ten school, given that his older brother, Luke, will be playing for the Nittany Lions and likely 2026 No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna committed to the school.

However, Misa’s inclusion on San Jose’s roster for this weekend’s three-team Golden State Rookie Faceoff in Irvine, Calif., was a strong signal of his intention to win a spot on the Sharks and the club’s desire to give him that opportunity.

“Michael is a gifted player and a hard worker who we are excited to bring into our organization,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “We are looking forward to his continued development as part of our group.”

At the draft, Misa said his goal over “a big summer ahead of me” was to strengthen his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame and prepare for the rigors of NHL hockey.

As to his readiness, he said, “I think that’s kind of for my game to decide. I got to prove myself. You know, I believe when I’m at my best, I’m making guys around me better. I think I play with good offensive ability. We’ll see what happens.”

One of the few to be granted exceptional player status, Misa delivered on his immense promise in the OHL as a star with the Saginaw Spirit. Misa can play center and wing, though he returned to the middle this past season. Because of his versatility, the Sharks may use him as their second-line center behind Macklin Celebrini or move him to the wing if they’re determined to shift Will Smith back to the middle.

Smith displayed great chemistry with Celebrini in the second half of last season, so San Jose could stick with that and have Misa, whose game has drawn comparisons to John Tavares, Dylan Larkin and Marian Hossa, develop into a top-six pivot.

Sharks confident in young prospect

Misa’s lack of a contract going into September led some in the league to believe the Sharks were unsure if he was NHL-ready or not, and sources say there were conversations with Big Ten schools. Misa could have signed a professional tryout contract to start camp and the team would have assessed if he was ready.

Misa was the clear top player in the OHL last season, so this signing would likely indicate the Sharks believe he will start the season on the team and assess how it goes from there. Misa’s skating and skill are clearly NHL level, but the level of physicality will be a test for him, given he didn’t always stand out in that regard at the junior level. It’s not clear if he’s NHL-ready, but it’s certainly reasonable to think so from the Sharks’ perspective. — Corey Pronman, National NHL writer