He has a great memory — a major reason he became valedictorian of his prestigious high school. But Michael Fisher’s recollection of one of the greatest experiences of his 18-year-old life is, well, a bit murky.
Sitting in the stands of Bell Centre in Montreal, site of the National Hockey League Entry Draft, the St. Mark’s School graduate, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound defenseman, heard the announcement that the San Jose Sharks had drafted him in the third round.
He exchanged hugs with his parents, Brian and Marion, his sister, Mary Jane, and his girlfriend. He shook hands with a handful of people. Then he received congratulations on being pick No. 76 pick from Sharks executives, including new general manager Mike Grier (Holliston, Mass.), and put on a Sharks cap and jersey.
At least that’s what he believes happened.
“I kind of blacked out,” Fisher said with a laugh a couple of hours after his dream of being drafted came true. “It was awesome. You hear St. Mark’s and you’re like, ‘Holy smokes.’ I’ll be watching Sharks games all the time now.”
The Westboro, Mass., native has improved leaps and bounds over the past 16 months. He’s not a finished product, but he has the on-ice presence and the off-ice work ethic to play pro hockey someday.
Ironically, Fisher skated with Grier in Marlboro, Mass., a couple of days before Grier was named San Jose’s GM. Fisher also has played against Grier’s son, Jayden Grier, a forward for St. Sebastian’s.
“Fish, I’ve known him for a while,” the elder Grier said when meeting with the San Jose media after the draft. “I’ve watched him play for quite a few years. He’s got a lot of upside and potential. He’s a hard worker. Yeah, I had a little background insight into the kid as a person and a player.”
As a St. Mark’s freshman, Fisher tallied one assist in 31 games. At that point he was 5-foot-9 and not exactly a hot prospect.
He improved as a sophomore, netting a 2-4-6 line in 18 games, but his season was curtailed by a broken hand. His junior season was limited to 10 non-prep school games due to the pandemic.
But this past season saw Fisher soar. Held without a goal his first seven games, he found the back of the net the next game. Then the points began flowing at a ridiculous rate. Fisher began to dominate every time St. Mark’s took to the ice.
“I’ve never seen a player that dominant. He was literally taking games over. We just relied on him so much,” St. Mark’s head coach Carl Corazzini (Framingham, Mass.) said. “I haven’t seen a player that dominant at the prep school level since Ryan Donato (Scituate, Mass.).”
By season’s end, he had an eye-popping 13 goals and 50 points in 28 games. He compiled a 22-game point streak and finished with three hat tricks. He was putting up points like a forward.
“I guess my confidence in myself (grew). I continued to mature and grow as a player,” he said.
Fisher, who impressed NHL teams with his maturity during the pre-draft process, didn’t feel much anxiety waiting for his name to be called.
“Obviously you can only control what you can control,” he said. “I was so happy to go when it was my time to get picked.”
In addition to his family and girlfriend, Fisher received plenty of support in Montreal. Corazzini made the trip with his assistant coach, Mike Shortsleeve. Two of Fisher’s St. Mark’s teammates, Justin Pare and Sebbie Johnson, also were there.
“It was the best. You couldn’t ask for more,” Fisher said. “That’s just St. Mark’s.”
“It was certainly nice to see the smile on his face,” Corazzini said.
Fisher can take comfort in being the 76th pick. Two players selected with that choice went on to play in more than 1,000 NHL games — forward Mike Knuble (1,068) and defenseman Keith Carney (1,018).
After being taken with the 11th pick of the third round, Fisher enjoyed a late afternoon meal with several friends, including Belmont Hill star James Fisher, who was taken in the seventh round by Columbus.
He also watched friends Ben McDonald (Noble & Greenough), Jack Hughes (Northeastern) and Michael Callow (St. Sebastian’s) hear their names called.
“Seeing them get drafted was probably the best thing,” Fisher said of his Montreal experience.
Fisher committed to Princeton University during his junior season. Corazzini said the commitment fueled Fisher’s confidence and served as a springboard for his breakout senior season. He decommitted from Princeton this past spring and chose Northeastern. He will become a Husky for the 2023-24 season after playing next season for Youngstown of the United States Hockey League.
Fisher had little time to savor in his draft selection. When he was drafted, he had never been west of Chicago. A few days after he was picked by the Sharks, he jumped on a plane headed for California and San Jose’s development camp. Fisher was so excited to make the trip that a plane might not have been necessary.
“Are you kidding me? Of course I’m excited. It’s going to be awesome,” he said.
Fisher’s development camp goal was simple: Let the Sharks know they made the right pick.
Corazzini is confident Fisher, his captain this past season, will not disappoint, especially in the skating department.
“He’ll go to development camp and he’ll stand out,” he said. “His skating is effortless, it’s powerful. He looks like he’s playing forward at times because he’s so far ahead of the play. His first stride jumps off the page at you.”
Coming from prep school hockey, Fisher is far from a finished product. He’ll face players in the USHL just as big as he is. He’ll go into the corners with players just as fast as he is. But Corazzini said Fisher will figure out things quickly.
Noting that Fisher was the valedictorian of St. Mark’s and student body president, Corazzini joked, “Yeah, he doesn’t really have anything going for him.”
“He’s really attentive,” Corazzini said. “If he continues on this path, I think he can fit in anywhere in your lineup. Mike really wants to learn. Mike’s going to do whatever it takes to be the best he can be. Mike’s come so far, really, in 16 months.”
Asked how he planned to replace Fisher at St. Mark’s, Corazzini paused. Then he laughed. Then he said, “I don’t think that’s possible. It will be a long time before we see a player like him come along at this level.”
When Fisher was a sophomore, Corazzini saw a player with great potential who didn’t believe in himself. Corazzini presented him with a book, “The Inner Game of Tennis.” Inside the book was a note Corazzini wrote: I think you’re a stud. When are you going to start believing it?
“The note itself was nice — it was a nice gesture — but it was the way he truly believed in me,” Fisher said.
He taped Corazzini’s note to his wall. He didn’t look at it every day, “But I knew it was there,” Fisher said.
The simple note motivated someone who already was a star in the classroom. At Fisher’s graduation, he made a point to acknowledge to Corazzini what the note meant to him. Corazzini hadn’t forgotten about writing the note, but the two had never discussed it.
“It was the best graduation present ever,” Corazzini said.
Fisher remembers reading the note for the first time. He remembers how great it felt to know someone who had starred at Boston University (117 career points) and went to play in the NHL for the Bruins and Blackhawks believed so deeply in him.
Fisher remembers seeing the note like it was yesterday. He retains much of his academic lessons, especially literature ones.
Now if he could only remember, with clarity, the moments that followed the Sharks drafting him on July 8.
“I was like, where am I?” he said.
Fisher knows where he’s been. The kid who grew up in Westboro, starred in Southboro and skated with Grier in Marlboro knows he’s headed to Youngstown and then to Northeastern. Then, if all goes well, he’ll know the way to San Jose.
