Blackhawks’ Martin Misiak shows off versatility in prospect tournament

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Entering this summer’s NHL draft, the scouting report on Martin Misiak was that he offered good size (6-2) and good skating but less certainty in other areas.

The Blackhawks were unperturbed, selecting Misiak fairly high with the 55th overall pick at the back of the second round. The same traits that made others see the 18-year-old Slovakian forward as difficult to evaluate made the Hawks instead see him as a versatile asset.

So far, Misiak appears on track to prove the Hawks’ faith was well-founded. Given a sizable top-six role on the Hawks’ prospect team this weekend, he demonstrated a variety of enticing skills. One of them is certainly his self-confidence.

“Personally, it was two pretty good games for me,” he said.

He translated his solid play onto the scoresheet with a tip-in goal Sunday against the Wild’s prospects, although the Hawks — who dressed neither Connor Bedard nor Wyatt Kaiser after their dominant performances Saturday — ultimately lost 7-4.

“To be honest, I was watching the St. Louis-Minnesota game Friday and I thought, ‘How am I going to play this game?’ It [looked] super fast from the stands,” Misiak added. “But I felt really comfortable on the ice. The pace was really good, but I felt quite comfortable.”

He has been a globetrotter over the past year, spending the first half of last season in the Slovakian pro league (recording 10 points in 29 games) before jumping to North America and spending the second half with the Youngstown Phantoms, where he won the USHL title. He recorded 17 points in 27 games for Youngstown, then added another 10 points in nine playoff games.

This summer, the Erie Otters took him with the first pick in the CHL import draft and Hawks staff recommended he go to Erie to accelerate his development, so he’ll play in Canadian juniors this coming season.

Accompanying all that league-switching has been equal amounts of position-switching, which means Misiak feels equally comfortable both at center and on the wing. He operated on the wing Saturday alongside Antti Saarela and Ryder Rolston, then filled Bedard’s center spot Sunday between Colton Dach and Nick Lardis.

“I played center until I was 15,” he explained. “When I jumped to the [Slovakian] pro league with men, I didn’t have the physical power to play down low and help the ‘D,’ so they put me on the wing. As I jumped to the USHL last year, they put me back at center.

“I’m bouncing off the wing to the center, but that’s a good thing. I can play 12 positions, so that gives me more chances to get to the team.”

(After Erie drafted Misiak, Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson joked with Misiak that he was just like Bedard as another No. 1 overall pick. This weekend, Misiak might not have been just like Bedard, but he was used interchangeably with him.)

Misiak also excelled on faceoffs, which impressed Rockford coach Anders Sorensen. Sorensen also praised Misiak’s offensive instincts and awareness away from the puck, abilities which — if they continue to grow — will help him take advantage of his natural size and skating.

He’ll participate in main Hawks training camp starting this week, but eventually his focus will shift to Erie, where he’s already off to a hot start with six points in three preseason games.

“It’s never easy to switch [between] three leagues in less than a year, so it’s been tough,” he said. “But [based on] the games I’ve played in the OHL, it’s really fast with lots of goal-scoring opportunities, so I like it. I think I’ll be playing great.”