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Michael Misa granted exceptional player status, eligible for OHL draft

Michael Misa has been granted exceptional status and will be eligible to be selected in the 2022 OHL Priority selection. 

Misa is the sixth player to receive exceptional-player status in the OHL, joining John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day and Shane Wright. The Ontario Priority selection is April 29.

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."

The decision was announced Thursday and made by a panel that included members of the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada who evaluated Misa’s hockey and academic documentation while also assessing his level of maturity to make the move to major junior hockey.

“Having administered this process since 2005 with John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day and Shane Wright, I am continuously amazed by the well-rounded nature of those granted exceptional status,” OHF executive director Phillip McKee said in a statement.

“His constant success both in the classroom and on the ice has demonstrated that Michael Misa is well deserving to be among those who have been granted status in the past.”

The 15-year-old scored 16 goals and 43 points in 27 games with the Mississauga Senators U16 AAA team in the GTHL regular season. He also broke Connor McDavid's record during the OHL Cup after recording 21 points in seven games and was named the tournament's MVP.

“It’s a huge honour to be counted among names like Connor McDavid and John Tavares to have received exceptional status from Hockey Canada,” said Misa in the same statement. "I try not to compare myself to those superstars, and just focus on being the best I can be and improve my game every day."

“The OHL Cup was a tremendous team effort,” Misa added, reflecting on his record-setting performance. “We had to battle through some playoff disappointment and came through on the other side stronger as a team and got the job done together.”

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