On July 27, the San Jose Sharks selected Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa with the second overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft. 

Not going as far as to say the 18-year-old was playing on easy mode in his draft-eligible season, but it sure looked that way, racking up 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games.

Over his three OHL seasons, Misa has just been dominant. Which is why, when he said that New York Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio was the best hockey player he's ever played against, that statement should hold tremendous weight. 

NHL (@NHL) on XThe ultimate compliment! 💪 #NHLYoungStarsWeek

"He's nasty. He's a really special player," Maggio said about Misa at Islanders development camp. "He has a really good hockey IQ with an unreal skillset. He dictates the game."

Maggio, who played three seasons for the Windsor Spitfires (2019-2023), played against Misa during the 2022-23 campaign. That's the year that Maggio put up video game-like numbers, recording 111 points (54 goals, 57 assists), the season after the Islanders selected him in the fifth round (No. 142) of the 2022 NHL Draft. 

The 22-year-old is about to begin his third full professional season with the hope that Bridgeport Islanders head coach Rocky Thompson can help take his game, and so many other prospects' games, to the next level after a year or so of stagnant growth in what was a not-so-ideal situation for development the last few seasons. 

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PHOTO: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Athletic published its ranking of the various NHL broadcasts on Monday, as voted by fans. Team’s fans were asked to rate their favourite team’s broadcast on a scale from one to five and to vote on as many national broadcasts as they wanted. Then, the values were computed, and the rankings were born.

The Boston Bruins come in last at number 32, with the Pittsburgh Penguins coming in at 31, and the Toronto Maple Leafs wrapping up the bottom three. At the other end of the spectrum, the Detroit Red Wings took first place, followed by the Seattle Kraken and the Utah Mammoth. As for the Montreal Canadiens, they came in at number 10.

Canadiens Intriguing Prospect Can't Be Slept On
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As can be expected, the Canadiens are a unique market in this regard, as they offer both French and English broadcasts, which are further split into National and Local games.

In English, TSN provides local coverage, while Sportsnet offers national coverage. In French, TVA Sports receives the national broadcast, while RDS receives the local one. RDS’ duo of Pierre Houde to run the play-by-play and Marc Denis provides the colour commentary.

For years, French-speaking fans have said that the Houde-Denis duo is the best in the business, and they voted accordingly. It seems to be a valid opinion since Houde was honored with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame this past season.

In his first post-induction game, Houde was celebrated in the Jacques Beauchamp media room with presents and speeches from Chantal Machabee, who was one of his colleagues for years, and France Margaret Belander. He was given a number 50 jersey (representing the number of years in the field), autographed by the players, an autographed Guy Lafleur Gin bottle, and scotch glasses.

Houde received an autographed jersey, scotch glasses and an autographed Guy Lafleur gin bottle #GoHabsGo#BravoPierreHoude#THNpic.twitter.com/ZdvV9Xp0gt

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) November 18, 2024

Members of the media were also all given a special Molson Beer featuring the play-by-play experts. The unanimous praise for their broadcast boosted the Canadiens' ratings here.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

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In the summer of 2024, the Pittsburgh Penguins had, apparently, reached out to then-free agent forward Anthony Mantha.

“Last summer, when I was a free agent, they were scooping around,” Mantha said Monday to Pittsburgh reporters. “They offered something last summer. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go that way.”

Well, fast forward one year later, and Kyle Dubas and the Penguins reached out once again. But, this time, everything fell into place. On Jul. 2, Mantha - the 20th overall pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2013 - agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.5 million deal, which came following a Nov. 5 ACL injury that ended his 2024-25 season with the Calgary Flames after just 13 games played.

It has been a long, long road to recovery for Mantha, and there is still a ways to go heading into training camp. But the 6-foot-5, 234-pound right winger has made it his goal to be ready for training camp and for the season - and he doesn’t plan on letting up.

“It feels great, but it’s been a long time,” Mantha said. “I should be ready for camp. That was my main goal when I did get surgery… I mean, it’s going to be almost 10 months post-op at the start of camp. So, I should be all set and running, and I’ll be ready. That’s the ultimate goal, and that’s exactly what I told [Pittsburgh] when we were talking to each other over the summer.”

And the decision to come to Pittsburgh is something that, kind of, fell into place for Mantha, who admits that his injury led to a pretty high degree of uncertainty heading into free agency this season. 

“For me, obviously, playing 13 games last year was, kind of, ‘Which team would give me a chance?’” Mantha said. “And, luckily enough, [Pittsburgh] came through and, I think, gave me a great opportunity and great deal from the start of free agency, and it was hard to look past them this year. 

“I’m just excited to join the Penguins, and like I said, after 13 games, I didn’t know what to expect over the summer. I focused a lot on myself and trying to prove that I’ll be ready for camp. Things went good, and here we are.”

Penguins Promising Forward Should Hit New LevelDuring this past season, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Philip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Overall, this was a low-risk move for the Penguins, as they did not need to give up much for the young forward. 

Mantha mentioned something that drew him to Pittsburgh was the opportunity to learn from “four of the best players” in the NHL during the past decade-plus in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson. But it’s not the first time Mantha has suited up against all-time great veterans. 

From 2021-24, Mantha represented the Washington Capitals, where he had a chance to play alongside Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Tom Wilson. He pulled a lot from that experience, mentioning how much he looked up to them and how he took some of their experience and applied it to his own game. 

“I’m just excited to kind of do the same thing in [Pittsburgh],” Mantha said. “Yes, I’m 30 years old, but we live and we learn every year, and for me, that’s the biggest thing this year again.”

Mantha is also aware of the crossroads the Penguins’ organization finds itself in. The team is in the midst of a rebuild, having missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. While he understands the situation, he also knows that the veterans in the room that the Penguins have had for the better part of two decades are still capable of turning the tide of a season.

Anthony Mantha has signed 1x$2.5M with PIT. No player card last year because he got hurt, but he's an efficient scorer with decent speed who pushes play in the right direction. Often maligned because he's 6'5 234 and plays like he's much smaller than that. #LetsGoPenspic.twitter.com/RqSf5VJgIp

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 2, 2025

“Just those four guys - they could switch an entire season around,” Mantha said. “So, yes, you’re talking rebuild in Pittsburgh, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be the case this year. It might be, it might not be, but again, for me, it’s to bring the best hockey that I can and to find some confidence and make things happen.”

And he may have some additional help regaining that confidence, as he does have another Penguins’ connection. Mantha was coached by new Penguins’ assistant Todd Nelson when their time overlapped with the Grand Rapids Griffins - Detroit’s AHL affiliate - from 2015-17, and he said that Nelson helped propel his career in an upward trajectory.

“It’s the year he kind of pushed me forward,” Mantha said. “Took a good step forward, meaning, after that, I didn’t see him again in the American League. So, he helped me take that step and bring me to the NHL level.”

'It's A Nice Mix': New Penguins' Coaching Staff Ready To Focus On DevelopmentIt’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have begun to shift into a new era. With the organization in a transitional period - and in the midst of a rebuild - the Penguins are putting the focus on youth and development.

But - personnel aside - Mantha knows that, at the end of the day, the onus is on him to get back to the level he knows he’s capable of. He has three career 20-plus goal seasons, and he has 146 goals and 303 points in 507 games across parts of 10 NHL seasons. His injury derailed him last season, but he still has all the tools to be an effective player, even as he’s entering the back half of his NHL career.

At the end of the day, Mantha is putting in the work to get both his legs and his confidence back, and he knows he will have to bring the injury from the moment the puck drops on training camp. 

“How to get the confidence back? I mean, it’s a lot of puck touches, a lot of shots… hopefully, I get to play a couple scrimmages here and there during the summer before I show up to camp,” Mantha said. “Then, obviously, camp this year is going to be different than the last couple years where, for me, it’s going to be almost season-type where I need to really get back into it, really focus, and play my best hockey from camp on.”

Will Owen Pickering Make The Opening Night Roster?The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a lot of decisions to make regarding some of their young players before the puck drops on the regular season Oct. 7 against the New York Rangers.

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Feature Image Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images

It was reported on Monday (Jul. 21) night that the Calgary Flames and forward Connor Zary remained far apart in negotiations about a new contract. While the Flames have $15.4 million in cap space, it doesn’t seem like they’re willing to budge from their original offer, which is “in the low 3s.”

CGY and Zary's camp have had discussions over the past several days. Things are still slow moving and there is still a sizeable separation on AAV; CGY is looking in the low 3s, the player is obviously looking for more, or this would have been done.@DailyFaceoff

— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) July 21, 2025

If the Flames and Zary can’t get a deal done and they’re too far apart, the Los Angeles Kings should be all over trying to acquire him. If they can find a way to bring him in at a reasonable price, he could be a solid addition to their middle-six forward group.

Zary, who is 23 years old, scored 13 goals and added 14 assists for 27 points through 54 games last season, which comes out to a 0.50 points-per-game average. All signs point to him getting a three-year contract, but if he gets traded and the Kings can bring him in, they should offer him a long-term deal.

Zary has shown signs of being a promising two-way forward, and his potential shows him having more than what he’s been able to show with the Flames. A fresh start on a contending team could help him flourish, but time will tell if he ends up being available. 

Kings Among Seven Potential Trade Destinations For Jason Robertson The Los Angeles Kings are trying to make it back to the playoffs next season, and this time, make a deep run into the postseason as they push to try and make a deep playoff run. They made some additions this summer, but they were recently listed as a potential destination for superstar forward Jason Robertson. Debunking Ridiculous Rumor Connecting Kings To Sidney CrosbyThe Los Angeles Kings were recently linked to Sidney Crosby, but it's time to shut any speculation down before it gets out of hand. Report: LA Kings GM Claims Anze Kopitar Extension Won't Come This SummerWhile the Los Angeles Kings try to build a roster capable of going deep into the playoffs next season, fans have begun to wonder what is next for forwards Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar. While general manager Ken Holland mentioned that extension discussions were going to get underway with Kempe, he delivered some not-so-positive news about Kopitar.

Last season, the San Jose Sharks had a finalist for the Calder Trophy, Macklin Celebrini, and another finished sixth in voting, Will Smith. Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Sharks are essentially guaranteed to have one candidate for the Calder, but there’s a chance they could have as many as three players with a legitimate shot of winning the Award at the end of the season.

First, a quick reminder of the NHL’s definition of a rookie. Per the NHL’s Hockey Operations Guidelines, “To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons.”

Due to those rules, players like Shakir Mukhamadullin and Collin Graf are no longer considered rookies, but players like Yegor Afanasyev or Cam Lund will be rookies this coming season. Now, with that said, let’s look at the three potential Sharks rookies who could compete for the Calder Trophy this coming season.

Yaroslav Askarov will see quite a bit of game time for the Sharks as he’s currently projected to be the team’s starting netminder to start the season. He has only played a total of 16 NHL games over his career, 13 of which came during the 2024-25 season, allowing him to maintain his rookie status.

Askarov has been a phenomenal goaltender at the American Hockey League level, and although his numbers from last season weren’t great, he played much better than statistics show. He had some rough moments, but many project him as one of the best goaltending prospects in the NHL, and it’s time for him to show he can last at that high of a level.

For Askarov, there’s an easy comparison for how he needs to perform in order to finish as a finalist for the Calder. If he can play at a level similar to Dustin Wolf, who finished second in voting for the trophy last season, then he’ll likely find himself in a similar position come the end of the season. That will certainly be easier said than done, but Askarov definitely has the talent to do so.

Next, the Sharks’ second overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, Michael Misa, could make a massive impact if he’s able to make the roster out of training camp. It’s far from guaranteed that the 18-year-old captain of the Saginaw Spirit will make the jump to the professional game next season, and there’s even a chance he joins his brother, Luke Misa, in the NCAA come this fall. If he does impress enough at training camp to earn a spot though, there’s a very high chance that he contributes at a high level for the Sharks. In my roster projection, I had Misa starting on the third line, but if he were to play well enough, he could certainly play his way into the top-six within a couple of months under head coach Ryan Warsofsky.

Lastly, the Sharks will also have Sam Dickinson looking to make their opening night roster. The 19-year-old defenseman dominated the Ontario Hockey League last season, but making the jump to the NHL at such a young age is a difficult task for any blue-liner, except for potentially a generational talent.

The reigning Calder winner, Lane Hutson, is a defenseman himself; however, he is a little bit older than Dickinson at 21 years of age. While it may seem like a minute difference, two years of development for defensemen is quite a big difference.

If Dickinson does make the NHL, he seems like the biggest long-shot of the three to find himself in contention for the Calder despite his obvious talent. Similar to Will Smith last season, Dickinson seems like the type of player who will have a bit of an extreme adjustment to the NHL and as a result, he may experience a rough start to the season before truly finding his game a few months into the season.

The Sharks have a great chance that one of their top prospects will walk away with the Calder Trophy at the end of the 2025-26 season, considering the number of players on their roster who could legitimately be in the conversation. With that being said, there’s quite a bit of competition with 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer, Ivan Demidov of the Montreal Canadiens, and Ryan Leonard of the Washington Capitals all being in the running as well.

For the second season in a row, the Calder Trophy race will undoubtedly be a big, but fun, subplot to the season in the Bay Area. While Macklin Celebrini came up just short of the award in his rookie season, it will be interesting to see if one of the next batch of newcomers will be able to walk away with some hardware.

Photo Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

80 Days Until Opening Day: The Sharks' History of Number 80We are just 80 days away from the start of the San Jose Sharks season against the Vegas Golden Knights.81 Days Until Opening Day: The Sharks' History of Number 81We’re officially just 81 days away from opening night, when the San Jose Sharks will host the Vegas Golden Knights to officially kick off the 2025-26 season. Sharks Roster Projection: Mid-July EditionThe San Jose Sharks have completed most of their business for the summer at this point, and we have a rough idea of what the roster should look like on opening night. With an abundance of players fighting for a limited number of spots, though, there will be hard decisions and we’ll likely see some veterans, or even some younger players, placed on waivers when preseason comes to a close.

Porter Martone's commitment to the NCAA's Michigan State means one less winger is battling for a roster spot with the Philadelphia Flyers this fall.

By extension, those players likely to make the NHL roster and those likely to be on the bubble have become increasingly clear.

Rookie forwards Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin are both expected to vie for a roster spot, and Bump has already drawn plaudits from Flyers AGM Brent Flahr, as is tradition, ahead of his first NHL training camp.

Grebenkin already garnered seven games of NHL experience playing for former Flyers head coach Craig Berube and the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, and impressed in his brief stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after arriving in March.

Flyers Prospects Among Favorites to Win NCAA TitleThe future of the Philadelphia Flyers is all about the player development of today, and many of their top prospects are set to be the chief competitors for this season's NCAA title.

From there, the Flyers' dire salary cap situation muddies things, but assuming new head coach Rick Tocchet isn't willing to make Nicolas Deslauriers an every-night player to start the season, and assuming Tyson Foerster isn't ready to play, there's one more opening at the forward position.

Deslauriers is a pure winger, so the Flyers may favor a player who can play center to round out the roster. Names like Karsen Dorwart and Rodrigo Abols come to mind, but with his size and experience, the latter is more likely to steal a roster spot.

Or, with the consideration of adding some speed to the bottom-six, it would be foolish to count out veteran sparkplug Anthony Richard.

I think 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko will have a real opportunity to compete and play in preseason games, but it was quite apparent in his NHL stint with the Flyers last season that this level of competition was too much for him at this point in his development.

The addition of Christian Dvorak in free agency effectively nuked Luchanko's chances of making the NHL roster outright, and the Trevor Zegras experiment at center, if it goes awry, won't have its plug pulled until later in the season.

Flyers Depth Chart 1.0: Early Prospects Outlook, Roster DepthThe Philadelphia Flyers didn't make too many additions to the roster this offseason, but they did enough to shake up the organizational depth chart for the time being.

Luchanko doesn't have that kind of time, and he didn't exactly set the OHL ablaze in his D+1 season last year. The 18-year-old center deserves to have a full training camp with the Guelph Storm and go from there.

Bump is as sure as sure can be at this stage, so long as he doesn't completely tank in training camp and the preseason.

Martone, who turns 19 in October, would have been Bump and Grebenkin's greatest threat to an NHL roster spot, but by going to Michigan State, the 2025 No. 6 pick won't even be competing for that privilege.

What happens this time next year, though, could be a different story.