The reigning No. 2 overall pick is officially on his way to the 2026 World Juniors. The Sharks announced they’ve activated center Michael Misa from injured reserve and subsequently loaned him to Team Canada for the event, which begins next week.
With only Misa’s name included in today’s announcement, it seems set in stone that defenseman Sam Dickinson is staying on San Jose’s roster and won’t be loaned out to Canada for the tournament. Dickinson, 19, had two assists in five games for the Canadians last year at the event and had another year of eligibility left, but he’ll be sticking around on San Jose’s roster for the next several weeks despite sitting as a healthy scratch in last night’s win over the Flames.
Misa’s limited playing time this season made him a logical candidate to be allowed to go to the event, much like the case of Calgary star defense prospect Zayne Parekh. The 18-year-old broke camp with the Sharks but was in and out of the lineup, never playing more than three games in a row, until he sustained a lower-body injury in early November.
Before exiting the lineup, Misa made his first seven NHL appearances, scoring one goal and three points with a -1 rating. It’s worth noting he isn’t joining Canada’s training camp cold. The Sharks loaned him to their AHL affiliate on a conditioning stint at the beginning of the month as he neared a return, recording an assist in two games for the San Jose Barracuda before rejoining the Sharks for practice.
Now fully cleared, Misa will get his first and only chance to represent Canada’s national team at the under-20 level. He was a rather shocking snub from last year’s roster amid a 62-goal, 134-point season for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit that made him the leading scorer across all of the country’s top junior leagues.
The question now becomes whether Misa returns to Saginaw or remains with the Sharks when the WJC wraps up in January. As an under-20 player subject to the NHL-CHL transfer agreement, he’s ineligible for a full-time assignment to the AHL and must be loaned back to his junior team if he’s not on the NHL roster (or injured reserve).