Melfort native Nate Misskey at San Jose Sharks Development Camp earlier this summer. (submitted/Nate Misskey)

By Ben Tompkins

New Routes

Melfort’s Misskey committing to Div I after multi-year WHL stint

Sep 4, 2025 | 3:02 PM

A Melfort hockey player has committed to an NCAA Division I hockey program, instead of returning to the WHL for his fifth and final season.

Twenty-year-old Nate Misskey will be joining the UMass Lowell River Hawks in Lowell, Massachusetts, after parts of four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Victoria Royals, including the last two as their assistant captain.

“Just looking at my career path, I thought it would be a good decision for my development. I get to go play some older guys and be one of the younger players in the league now, so just taking that next step is going to be huge. Also, the schedule is a great change of pace, as we play only on the weekends, so I can focus a lot more on the gym during the week, and just grow my game,” Misskey told northeastNOW.

“Obviously, I never thought this would be an option for me when I started with Victoria, but it’s a great stepping stone now to be able to make that next jump and grow my career. I think you’re going to see a lot of younger guys get into the WHL early to develop at a young age, and then eventually make that jump to the NCAA. The WHL might become a bit of a younger league, but you’re still gonna see a lot of high-end talent go there and move their way up the ranks.”

Misskey has high hopes to progress through the NCAA and find his way at the pro level, after producing 104 points in 194 games as a WHL defenceman.

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As a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks, the Melfort native has attended numerous NHL Development camps and is doing everything he can to prepare for his big goals.

“San Jose doesn’t have too much input on where I go; they leave the decisions up to me, and they just want to see that I improve. I want to work my way up to be able to play at that pro-level and make their draft pick worth it… I have high expectations for myself, and I have to keep them high so I can continue to work to meet them,” added Misskey.

“Don’t know exactly what to expect with the game style and all that, just got to work for it. Just hope to have a good season, and hope the team (UMass) has a good season. You want to make it as far as you can because that always helps everybody on the team make that next step. Just being a play driver for the team, coming into my first year and showing them that I can handle those hard situations and play a high-end game, it’s huge.”

The UMass Lowell River Hawks play in the Hockey East conference, which includes powerhouse teams like Boston University, Boston College, and Providence.

Misskey, who has four years of NCAA eligibility ahead of him, is excited to prove his worth against the best, is hopeful he can make the jump to pro sooner rather than later, and is grateful to get to do it in a part of the world he had previously never been to.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8