Saginaw coach Chris Lazary has noticed.
“I know this summer he came back to camp at the 185-190-pound range and his overall strength has helped his on-ice with his skating and his puck battles,” Lazary said. “But he’s now playing center, after playing wing the previous two seasons, and is better down low, responsible. We’ve tried to get him to understand that when it comes to goal-scoring, if you can break out clean, the better your chances you’re getting O-zone time. As good as he is, I think there’s still another level there that he’s going to develop into and make him that much better of a player.”
Lazary will coach the Western Conference in the McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game. McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers captain, will have his No. 97 retired by the Otters in a ceremony at Erie Insurance Arena on Jan. 10. He’ll be the third Erie player to have his number retired, joining Vince Scott (18) and Brad Boyes (16).
“He’s the best player probably ever to play in our league, arguably, and to be a part of something where he gets to come back, and you get to see him in person and see a jersey go up and be associated with that name … I think it’s special for anybody,” Lazary said. “I think we’re looking for the next guy to kind of do the same thing and there’s players in our league now who will be the next names of hockey.
“Anytime you get to see what we call hockey royalty, whether it’s Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby … it still brings out the little kid in you. I think we’ll have a lot of guys at that game just being fans when they see [McDavid] and catch themselves in awe, which I think is the coolest part of our game.”
Players selected as most valuable player for their respective teams will be recognized with the Connor McDavid 97 Award. Misa was one of seven from the OHL invited to the game who are projected as a potential first-round candidate in the 2025 NHL Draft, per NHL Central Scouting.
Here are the six other A rated skaters (listed alphabetically):
Kashawn Aitcheson, D, Barrie: The left-shot defenseman (6-1, 196), who possesses offensive flair and a lot of feistiness, has 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) and 11 power-play points (four goals) in 32 games with Barrie.
Brady Martin, C, Sault Ste. Marie: Martin (6-0, 178) plays in the trenches, earns big minutes and has fine creativity and finish with the puck on his stick. The right-shot center has 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) and six power-play goals in 28 games with the Greyhounds.
Porter Martone, RW, Brampton: Martone (6-3, 208) is one of three Brampton players representing Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship (goalie Jack Ivankovic, forward Carson Rehkopf). The 18-year-old has averaged 9:29 of ice time in two games. Prior to leaving for World Juniors, Martone led the OHL with a 2.08 points-per-game average (54 points; 21 goals, 33 assists) in 26 games. He’s one of just three first-year NHL Draft-eligible players in the CHL to be captain of his team.
Jake O’Brien, C, Brantford: Named the 2023-24 OHL rookie of the year when he led all first-year players in assists (51) and points (64), O’Brien (6-2, 172) possesses great hands, puck skills and creativity and good finish. The right-shot center has 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists) in 35 games this season.
Matthew Schaefer, D, Erie: The 17-year-old left-shot defenseman is having an extraordinary season but will be out three months after sustaining a broken collarbone playing for Canada against Latvia in the first period of the second game at the 2025 WJC. Schaefer had surgery in Ottawa on Dec. 30, per his agent Pat Morris of Newport Sports Management, Inc. He has 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 17 games for the Otters this season. His replacement in the McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game will be Guelph defenseman Daniil Skvortsov, a C rated skater on Central Scouting’s December players to watch list.
Malcolm Spence, LW, Erie: Spence (6-1, 203) has 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 31 games of his third OHL season. He’s a great skater and tough to handle down low. “It’s going to be surreal seeing [McDavid’s] number retired,” Spence said. “There are some guys, even though their numbers aren’t retired, you say, ‘Hey, you’re not taking that number, are you?’ because those belong to those guys for what they did for the organization. And McDavid’s one of them, right? He’s the best player in hockey right now. I think we’re all just excited to even get the chance to hear him speak and to meet him.”
