On April 14, 2022, Mississauga Senators forward and Oakville native Michael Misa was granted exceptional status to the 2022 OHL Priority selection. Exceptional status is given to a player that is going to be 15 at the start of the next OHL season.
The reason why it is called exceptional status is that the OHL only allows 16-year-olds to be drafted into the league under normal circumstances. However, if a player that is 15 is seen as "exceptional," they will be able to be drafted into the OHL a year before the rest of their age group.
This status has only been given to five players before him, those players include another Oakville native in John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad (now of the Florida Panthers), Connor McDavid (of the Edmonton Oilers), Sean Day, who played two games with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, and Shane Write - who is projected to be picked first overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.
According to the CHL "Exceptional player status is granted to a player whose qualities not only on the ice, but as a person, deem the player deserving of the rare privilege of participating in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) at an early age."
After Misa’s performance this season with the Senators, it is not a shock that he was given this great honour.
As a 15-year-old, and one of the younger members of the U16 Mississauga Senators, Misa scored 16 goals and 43 points for the Senators in only 27 games.
His biggest accomplishment this year was when he and the Senators won the OHL cup back in the first week of April.
Not only did Misa’s team win, but Misa was the Tournament MVP and he also broke Connor McDavid’s record for most points scored in the tournament with 20 points in only seven games. He was also the only player in OHL Cup history to score a hattrick in the championship game.
Michael spoke on why he feels he is ready for next year and why he’s ready to play against players so much older than him saying, "I’ve always played with kids a year older than me, so I’ve always been at their stage, so if they can all get drafted to the OHL this year why can’t I?"
"I’ve always been a huge impact on my team," he continues, "so I think I can fit in nicely next year in the OHL."
Michael also commented on how the Town of Oakville has shaped his hockey career saying "It’s made me a much better hockey player, watching for example someone like Luke Evangelista (current captain of the London Knights) and that ‘02 Oakville Ranger team and the ‘05 Rangers team. There are so many great players on both of those teams that have helped me along the way."