The San Jose Sharks are building one of the most anticipated prospect pools in the NHL, but great prospects come with tough decisions on how to manage them. A lot of San Jose’s players could start the season in a wide range of leagues, and the team and players have to work together to determine their placement. Of the many prospects who fit into this category, the two who offer the most difficult choices are a pair of skaters from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), forward Michael Misa and defenseman Sam Dickinson. Both of them are stuck between multiple options, and they’ll be worth paying attention to as the regular season approaches.
Misa Keeping His Options Open
The second overall pick at this year’s draft, Misa has made it his goal to make the Sharks out of training camp. He’ll get a chance, but he has his work cut out for him. For one thing, the Sharks already have at least 12 forwards worthy of being full-time NHL players and plenty of lineup juggling to do even before considering him. While he’s obviously a great prospect, he’s probably not quite as developed as the average player who makes the NHL immediately after being drafted.
Misa hasn’t signed his entry-level contract (ELC) yet, leaving him open to all the possible paths he’s allowed to take. While he’s not eligible for the American Hockey League (AHL), he could go to the NCAA or return to his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team, the Saginaw Spirit. Both of these choices have positives and negatives. He could make money in the NCAA while furthering his development, but he might be able to progress further by staying with the Spirit, with whom he is obviously comfortable and familiar.
Of course, if Misa plays well enough during training camp and preseason, he could leave the Sharks with no option but to put him on the team, and they’ve made it clear that they’ll give him an opportunity. Should he get to that point, the Sharks could give him development days throughout the season and play him on the wing despite his natural position of center. No matter what, they’ll need to be careful not to throw too much at him too quickly as he makes a huge leap to the NHL.
Dickinson Trapped Between NHL and Juniors
In his second year under contract to the Sharks, Dickinson’s standing might be the most interesting in the entire organization. After a dominant season in the OHL, he might be too good to stay there at this point. However, he can’t go to the NCAA since he’s already signed his ELC. The AHL would be the clear best option for him, but the rule that allows NHL teams to send 19-year-olds to the AHL doesn’t kick in until next season.
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With that in mind, the Sharks’ best move could be to bring him up to the big club. He would be young for an NHL defenseman, but he might get more out of going through NHL growing pains than he would out of another year in a league that’s essentially too easy for him. And while he did struggle during the preseason with the Sharks last year, that experience plus another year of development should make this season easier than last season would have been.
On the other hand, Dickinson might not fit in the NHL right now. The Sharks have a lot of left-handed blueliners with more experience, and he might simply be left out. He could also get a trial run at the start of the season and then return to the OHL without burning a year of his ELC. His adjustment to the NHL and the jump from juniors could be too difficult, but he and the Sharks have ways to counter that.
Sharks Want Prospects to Take Next Steps at Own Pace
The perfect scenario for the Sharks is for both Misa and Dickinson to be NHL-ready by the time the season starts. Even if they both burn a year off their contracts, the Sharks would happily take that tradeoff if it means that two of their top prospects are prepared for the big leagues earlier than expected, and they get to work on their development as directly as possible.
At the same time, the Sharks don’t need to rush either of them to the NHL. One of the few benefits of not expecting to contend for the playoffs is that prospects can take their time to reach their potential and don’t need to be thrown into high-pressure situations. If the best path is the NCAA (in Misa’s case) or if it’s the OHL (for either of them), that’s hardly a concern. All it means is that the Sharks’ excitement and anticipation for getting to bring them into the NHL will last a little longer.
