Prospect Update: Michael Callow

By Thomas Harrington

Anaheim’s second fifth round pick from 2022, forward Michael Callow, played in the USHL this past season and will start his NCAA hockey career this year.

Callow played for the Muskegon Lumberjacks and scored 21 goals and 40 points in 61 games. He finished second on the team in goals and fourth in points. His four game-winning goals were tied for second on the team, and his six powerplay goals were tied for the team lead. He was one of seven players with a shorthanded goal and his 101 shots were fourth on the team. He had a career high three points in a game three times last season. Muskegon finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and failed to make the playoffs.

Anaheim had a theme at the 2022 draft, taking prospects with size, and Callow is no exception to that as he stands at 6 ‘4″. One of the things that he worked on a lot this past season was becoming a net front presence. Given his size, he has the potential to become a player who causes havoc in front of the opposing net and doesn’t let the goaltender see anything. He knows how to score, but does need to work on rounding out his overall game.

Callow will begin his NCAA career at Harvard University, where he’ll join fellow Anaheim prospect Ian Moore. Harvard has started to become a school known for turning out NHL players like Alex Killorn, Adam Fox, Alex Kerfoot, and Ryan Donato. Anaheim had another prospect who came through Harvard in Henry Thrun, though he informed the Ducks he wouldn’t sign and was traded before the season was over. He did sign in San Jose and now has eight NHL games to his credit.

As a freshman, I won’t set big expectations for Callow this season. My first expectation for Callow will be to play in most of Harvard’s games. It can be difficult for lower classmen to get a lot of ice time, especially at good programs, and Harvard usually has a good team. My second expectation for him is to learn to use his size effectively. If he can start morphing into a power forward, he could end up being an excellent pick for the Ducks.

Callow is still several years away from the NHL, if he makes it. He’s probably got anywhere from two to four years of college hockey ahead of him, followed by time in the AHL. So the earliest we could see him in Anaheim probably isn’t until the 2026-2027 season, and it might not be until several years after that, if he does make it to the NHL.

Callow is currently unsigned and will be until the conclusion of his college career. Pat Verbeek seems to be of the opinion that it’s best to let a prospect develop fully in their current league before moving on to the next one. With that in mind, it will be some time before the Ducks sign to his entry-level contract. Anaheim owns his rights until August 2027, so both sides have a lot of time to see what kind of player Callow really is before he signs.

The next prospect update will be on forward Connor Hvidston.

Related Articles:

Prospect Update: Ian Moore

Prospect Update: Josh Lopina

Prospect Update: Tyson Hinds

Prospect Update: Gage Alexander

Prospect Update: Brayden Tracey

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September 1st, 2023