RW Joshua Ho-Sang - Windsor Spitfires, OHL (2014, 28th overall, NY Islanders)

[periferal]

And now, the terrifying tales of Joshua Ho-Sang!

- He called his mother a terrible parent on live television!
- No other team wanted him so the Islanders could have waited til the 7th round!
- He's not showing up for camp at the Coliseum because he feels it beneath him!

What will this troublemaker do next? Tune in to hfboards to find out!

Yes sir.

 

[Knave]

Never heard of this kid. Love his attitude- in that regard- reminds me a lot of Denis Potvin's belief in himself when he was drafted- and that guy didn't turn out so bad for the Isles . I love his response to all the criticism. I love his enthusiasm and confidence. It's exactly what this team needs. When I was a 15 and watched the Isles win their last Cup and all of the great Islanders had the same kind of swagger that this kid has. They knew they were the best that ever skated and they let everyone know that. This attitude has been missing for decades. I accept what this kid believes in- so long as he always plays for his teammates he will do fantastic.

Watching a video of this kid today I believe, this kid is going to be a MASSIVE steal for the Islanders. While I see the comparisons in attitudes to Kirill Kabanov, Josh is miles ahead of KK in talent. Some say his skill level in on par with McDavid, just "more electrifying" whilst playing with lesser line mates. How can any team in their right mind pass up on this kid especially in the latter part of the first round?

Garth did good- real good! Welcome to the Island Josh Ho-sang! Work hard, be a team player and make these detractors pay!!!


Here's the article on Denis Potvin- see any similarities in their attitudes? Attitudes don't necessarily make or break a prospect. Besides, who's to say they are wrong?

Earl McRae for Southam News. CanWest News. Don Mills, Ont.: Sep 29, 1987.

I'm confused - so you're comparing a prospect to someone at the end of their career who was a huge part of a dynasty that won multiple Stanley Cups? You're comparing the attitude of someone who has seen and done it all at the highest level to someone who has seen and done literally nothing at any league. Ho-Sang wasn't even the best in the OHL, let alone the CHL.

 

[periferal]

Am I the only one seeing Ho-Sang + Snow = trouble?

If Snow got rid of Niederreiter who wasn't that much of a terror, what are the chances this kid will last with the NYI?

Let me recalibrate the formula for you....



_______ + Wang =

 

[ponder]

Kid has a lot of talent, I can definitely see him becoming a Mike Ribeiro type offensive spark. Seems worth a gamble at 28th overall, if he doesn't pan out that's not a huge loss. I do prefer Kempe, Barbashev, Demko and Pettersson, but don't mind the Ho-Sang pick.

 

[periferal]

Look at this nonsense from Philly's GM Ron Hextall on Ho-Sang and why he was on their do not draft list:

"Kids make mistakes, so you can’t take one mistake a kid made and brand him a bad kid,†Hextall said. “On the other hand, if someone’s got a pattern over and over and over and over, you have to take a longer look at it and try to sift through because … when you look at the character of a player, it’s got a lot to do with whether he turns out to be an NHL player. 'There are a lot of players in the American League that don’t make the NHL because of their character."

This is coming from a guy who has never won a Cup in his life. So, all of a sudden he is an "expert" on character??? Does this baffoon understand the word, "character"? If anything he was often quite the "character" during his playing days, but no Cup to show for it.

Like I mentioned above, there are eerie similarities to attitude shared by Ho-Sang and the Islander's own Denis Potvin. Both thought highly of themselves. Both preferred fine arts and good books. Both were vilified by the media. Both were notoriously late for practice or in Denis Potvin's case an actual game. (Islander fans will remember how Al Arbour punished Denis Potvin for missing the team bus, he never did that again.) Both were not necessarily loved by their teammates. Both were brutally honest and straight talking.

But if confidence in himself and his abilities was the character "flaw" that made Denis Potvin a 4 time Stanley Cup winning captain of one of the greatest hockey dynasties, then I'd say Josh Ho-Sang is in good company. Ask any scout today if they would pass on a Denis Potvin because of his outspokenness and we all know what the answer would be. Ho-Sang is a little "old school" in the way he approaches the media and markets himself. A mini Ali some would say- I love it!

All those teams that crapped on this 17 year old for his confidence are utter fools, and he is going to make them PAY!!!

So "no Stanley Cup" is what you're using to decide if someone can judge character now? Do you understand the word "character?" I guess the following players have no character either: Cam Neely, Pavel Bure, Pat Lafontaine, Mats Sundin, Trevor Linden, Paul Kariya, Adam Oates, Marcel Dionne, Dale Howerchuk, Mike Gartner, & a million more...

 

[Fishhead]

This is coming from a guy who has never won a Cup in his life. So, all of a sudden he is an "expert" on character??? Does this baffoon understand the word, "character"? If anything he was often quite the "character" during his playing days, but no Cup to show for it.

Uhhh.. Seeing how Hextall was Lombardi's right hand man when the Kings won the cup in 2012, and played a big part in their entire rebuild, I would say he's a pretty damn good judge of character. He knows exactly what kind of players to pursue if you want to win a cup, and that there are things far more important than skill. He completely understands how important a great room is if you want to be a successful franchise. I would say he is anything but a baffoon[sic] when it comes to this type of thing.

 

[Rehabguy]

So "no Stanley Cup" is what you're using to decide if someone can judge character now? Do you understand the word "character?" I guess the following players have no character either: Cam Neely, Pavel Bure, Pat Lafontaine, Mats Sundin, Trevor Linden, Paul Kariya, Adam Oates, Marcel Dionne, Dale Howerchuk, Mike Gartner, & a million more...

Oh for God's sake!

No, the point I am making is that being outspoken does not mean you are devoid of character. Got it?

 

[Rehabguy]

Uhhh.. Seeing how Hextall was Lombardi's right hand man when the Kings won the cup in 2012, and played a big part in their entire rebuild, I would say he's a pretty damn good judge of character. He knows exactly what kind of players to pursue if you want to win a cup, and that there are things far more important than skill. He completely understands how important a great room is if you want to be a successful franchise. I would say he is anything but a baffoon[sic] when it comes to this type of thing.

Meh- right hand man. Ha ha ha.... that's a good one. Yeah like a former NHL goaltender would know anything about building a team! LMAO. That's a new one. HEEEE HEEEE HEEEE.


Oh wait a minute....

He's still a moron.

 

[glovesave_35]

No, the point I am making is that being outspoken does not mean you are devoid of character. Got it?

Which has nothing to do with Hextall having ever won a Cup or not.

 

[macleod50]

Ok, proving my point.

de Haan is not a stud, 52 NHL games and 16 points does not make you a stud. Guys taken after him who are better: Kulikov, Leddy, Moore, Orlov, Barrie.

Can't tell me you wouldn't take Toffoli over Nelson.

Yeah, points are the first thing I look at when judging a defenseman.....It's cute that all you have done in this thread is try to crap on the Islanders.

To stay on topic, I like the Ho-Sang pick.

 

[nyscene]

I'm confused - so you're comparing a prospect to someone at the end of their career who was a huge part of a dynasty that won multiple Stanley Cups? You're comparing the attitude of someone who has seen and done it all at the highest level to someone who has seen and done literally nothing at any league. Ho-Sang wasn't even the best in the OHL, let alone the CHL.

Did you even read the article? It was Potvin quotes from 1973.

 

[Passchendaele]

Did you even read the article? It was Potvin quotes from 1973.

Either way, Potvin was breaking offensive records (for dmen) and averaging two points per game.

Ho-Sang finished 5th in scoring among draft-eligible players (and some of them played 9-10 less games than him).

 

[DocWest]

Look at this nonsense from Philly's GM Ron Hextall on Ho-Sang and why he was on their do not draft list:

"Kids make mistakes, so you can’t take one mistake a kid made and brand him a bad kid,†Hextall said. “On the other hand, if someone’s got a pattern over and over and over and over, you have to take a longer look at it and try to sift through because … when you look at the character of a player, it’s got a lot to do with whether he turns out to be an NHL player. 'There are a lot of players in the American League that don’t make the NHL because of their character."

This is coming from a guy who has never won a Cup in his life. So, all of a sudden he is an "expert" on character??? Does this baffoon understand the word, "character"? If anything he was often quite the "character" during his playing days, but no Cup to show for it.

Like I mentioned above, there are eerie similarities to attitude shared by Ho-Sang and the Islander's own Denis Potvin. Both thought highly of themselves. Both preferred fine arts and good books. Both were vilified by the media. Both were notoriously late for practice or in Denis Potvin's case an actual game. (Islander fans will remember how Al Arbour punished Denis Potvin for missing the team bus, he never did that again.) Both were not necessarily loved by their teammates. Both were brutally honest and straight talking.

But if confidence in himself and his abilities was the character "flaw" that made Denis Potvin a 4 time Stanley Cup winning captain of one of the greatest hockey dynasties, then I'd say Josh Ho-Sang is in good company. Ask any scout today if they would pass on a Denis Potvin because of his outspokenness and we all know what the answer would be. Ho-Sang is a little "old school" in the way he approaches the media and markets himself. A mini Ali some would say- I love it!

All those teams that crapped on this 17 year old for his confidence are utter fools, and he is going to make them PAY!!!

You sound foolish considering that Hextall won a Cup with the Kings and helped make them the Champions that they are today. He knows what a winning locker room looks like. Also, a lot of scouts shared a similar negative opinion about Ho-Sang's character. The kid has a chance to turn it around now and mature. Let's see if he can do it.

 

[Rehabguy]

You sound foolish considering that Hextall won a Cup with the Kings and helped make them the Champions that they are today. He knows what a winning locker room looks like. Also, a lot of scouts shared a similar negative opinion about Ho-Sang's character. The kid has a chance to turn it around now and mature. Let's see if he can do it.

Oh spare me that CRAP!

The only person is the conversation who is showing a lack of "character" is Hextall himself.

The guy is giving a lecture about character while simultaneously attacking a talented 17 year old for things he did as a child at 15 and 16 years of age. What a coward!

Maybe he should spend more time explaining to the media why is 26 year old son Brett, is stuck in the AHL and going no where fast. Maybe he's projecting his own son's lack of character on this kid, but those statements he made about a kid he barely knows are inexcusable. If I had a grown man publicly calling my son a "bad kid" just because he's a happy go lucky 17 year old, I'd take a sledgehammer to his head.

If anything, he owes this kid a public apology.

Since he loves to talk about children. Let's what what his 26 year old son accomplished in his career thus far:

BRETT HEXTALL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMiPVpSPj4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnU5tD7Z69M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxmdCDm-7zw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCthAqMdlh8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N9sGpZmmJQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2JrgIEITrI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSnRvTQjTmU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woZdvyFQSc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltll9a0VBGk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8flR6az6b8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMo3xyMuKcg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a1SOs0GWvU

as compared to:

Ho-Sang's talents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3VrzVxSBC0

So when Hextall said, “On the other hand, if someone’s got a pattern over and over and over and over, you have to take a longer look at it and try to sift through because … when you look at the character of a player, it’s got a lot to do with whether he turns out to be an NHL player. 'There are a lot of players in the American League that don’t make the NHL because of their character." Which player was he referring to? Maybe he ought to stop sh***ting over the son he never had and pay more attention to his own son's career. If in Ron Hextall's eyes Ho-Sang is a "bad kid", I shudder to think what he thinks of his own son. The man's basically a hypocritical fool.

 

[Scouter]

Yeah, points are the first thing I look at when judging a defenseman.....It's cute that all you have done in this thread is try to crap on the Islanders.

To stay on topic, I like the Ho-Sang pick.

It is when they are an offensive one. I'm not crapping on them, just telling it like it is, I wish they were a better franchise truly, I really feel for Tavares, but he won't be winning a cup there, needs to get out ASAP.

 

[BamBam1031]

Oh spare me that CRAP!

The only person is the conversation who is showing a lack of "character" is Hextall himself.

The guy is giving a lecture about character while simultaneously attacking a talented 17 year old for things he did as a child at 15 and 16 years of age. What a coward!

Maybe he should spend more time explaining to the media why is 26 year old son Brett, is stuck in the AHL and going no where fast. Maybe he's projecting his own son's lack of character on this kid, but those statements he made about a kid he barely knows are inexcusable. If I had a grown man publicly calling my son a "bad kid" just because he's a happy go lucky 17 year old, I'd take a sledgehammer to his head.

If anything, he owes this kid a public apology.

Since he loves to talk about children. Let's what what his 26 year old son accomplished in his career thus far:

BRETT HEXTALL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMiPVpSPj4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnU5tD7Z69M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxmdCDm-7zw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCthAqMdlh8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N9sGpZmmJQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2JrgIEITrI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSnRvTQjTmU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woZdvyFQSc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltll9a0VBGk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8flR6az6b8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMo3xyMuKcg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a1SOs0GWvU

as compared to:

Ho-Sang's talents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3VrzVxSBC0

So when Hextall said, “On the other hand, if someone’s got a pattern over and over and over and over, you have to take a longer look at it and try to sift through because … when you look at the character of a player, it’s got a lot to do with whether he turns out to be an NHL player. 'There are a lot of players in the American League that don’t make the NHL because of their character." Which player was he referring to? Maybe he ought to stop sh***ting over the son he never had and pay more attention to his own son's career. If in Ron Hextall's eyes Ho-Sang is a "bad kid", I shudder to think what he thinks of his own son. The man's basically a hypocritical fool.

Hextall learned a lot from Dean Lombardi. If you haven't caught on yet, Dean has built the franchise into the two-time (and counting) Stanley Cup championship team it is on a foundation of "character" guys. If Hextall says Ho-Sang doesn't have what it takes to be a pro, I'd take his word for it.

The ad hominem attacks on Hextall are not really good "arguments" (and I'm being kind in using that word). Just stop being so emotionally invested in the pick and look at it more objectively.

 

[SI90]

Let the Ho-Sanity begin!!!

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

Look at this nonsense from Philly's GM Ron Hextall on Ho-Sang and why he was on their do not draft list:

"Kids make mistakes, so you can’t take one mistake a kid made and brand him a bad kid,” Hextall said. “On the other hand, if someone’s got a pattern over and over and over and over, you have to take a longer look at it and try to sift through because … when you look at the character of a player, it’s got a lot to do with whether he turns out to be an NHL player. 'There are a lot of players in the American League that don’t make the NHL because of their character."

This is coming from a guy who has never won a Cup in his life. So, all of a sudden he is an "expert" on character??? Does this baffoon understand the word, "character"? If anything he was often quite the "character" during his playing days, but no Cup to show for it.

Like I mentioned above, there are eerie similarities to attitude shared by Ho-Sang and the Islander's own Denis Potvin. Both thought highly of themselves. Both preferred fine arts and good books. Both were vilified by the media. Both were notoriously late for practice or in Denis Potvin's case an actual game. (Islander fans will remember how Al Arbour punished Denis Potvin for missing the team bus, he never did that again.) Both were not necessarily loved by their teammates. Both were brutally honest and straight talking.

But if confidence in himself and his abilities was the character "flaw" that made Denis Potvin a 4 time Stanley Cup winning captain of one of the greatest hockey dynasties, then I'd say Josh Ho-Sang is in good company. Ask any scout today if they would pass on a Denis Potvin because of his outspokenness and we all know what the answer would be. Ho-Sang is a little "old school" in the way he approaches the media and markets himself. A mini Ali some would say- I love it!

All those teams that crapped on this 17 year old for his confidence are utter fools, and he is going to make them PAY!!!

Hextall learned from Lombardi, and Lombardi values character VERY highly. I said long before the draft I bet Ho-Sang was on the Kings "do not draft" list as well.

 

[KuemperTantrum]

He'll be the best personality in the league in a short while. Great pick by the Isles.

Yup, I love his self confidence, I can't wait for this kid to make it big in the NHL, I just know he will too, he's just to damn good and determined not to.

 

[Scouter]

Yup, I love his self confidence, I can't wait for this kid to make it big in the NHL, I just know he will too, he's just to damn good and determined not to.

Yeah right, just like Kabanov did.

 

[boredmale]

Yeah right, just like Kabanov did.

I said this before the difference between Kabanov and Ho Sang was Kabanov was all hype not much in the results department. In the case of Ho Sang he definitely had the results last season. I also don't think Kabanov was really arrogant or overly cocky

 

[Scouter]

I said this before the difference between Kabanov and Ho Sang was Kabanov was all hype not much in the results department. In the case of Ho Sang he definitely had the results last season. I also don't think Kabanov was really arrogant or overly cocky

Maybe, was still highly touted though, higher than Ho-Sang. I wasn't referring to their attitudes necessarily. Seriously I hope he becomes a player for you guys, cause well you need it, should fit in nicely with his individual game, because the team doesn't have an identity.

 

[WhiteCurse]

Oh spare me that CRAP!

The only person is the conversation who is showing a lack of "character" is Hextall himself.

The guy is giving a lecture about character while simultaneously attacking a talented 17 year old for things he did as a child at 15 and 16 years of age. What a coward!

Maybe he should spend more time explaining to the media why is 26 year old son Brett, is stuck in the AHL and going no where fast. Maybe he's projecting his own son's lack of character on this kid, but those statements he made about a kid he barely knows are inexcusable. If I had a grown man publicly calling my son a "bad kid" just because he's a happy go lucky 17 year old, I'd take a sledgehammer to his head.

If anything, he owes this kid a public apology.

A sledgehammer you say, over " bad kid " talk about an over reaction

 

[BruinLVGA]

It would be kind of silly for Snow to draft someone with a strong opinion of himself- only to turn around and "eject" them. This was not the situation with Nino. The Isles had a strong opinion of him only for him to crap in his pants. Granted, he could have used more time on more offensive-minded lines, but apparently the coach didn't want to pressure the kid. When it was decided after an abysmal year that he needed more development in the minors, his time in the NHL got to the kid's head and he cried like a baby when he was left off the roster the following year.

A more appropriate comparison would be with Kirill Kabanov, who suffered from similar attacks from media. I think in that regards he has been a success story with the Isles and the Islander organization appreciates him for his effort. Unfortunately he has not shown the skill development required to make it in the NHL at this point in his career. That being said, he's still in the Islander's prospect pool and I'm sure the organization would love to see this kid succeed in the NHL. He's done everything asked of him to address the former media concerns. Just as the Islanders succeeded in working with Kabanov's strong opinions, so shall they have no problems working with Ho-Sang. Unlike Kabanov however, Ho-Sang skill level is being compared to those of generational talents by the media.

Thanks for the hindsight. What puzzles me is that I remember reading that after his round of interviews, many teams had him crossed out. The fact that people talk about "generational talent" but he only gets picked at the end of round 1 corroborates the theory that many teams thinks he will/could be too much trouble.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Look at this nonsense from Philly's GM Ron Hextall on Ho-Sang and why he was on their do not draft list:

"Kids make mistakes, so you can’t take one mistake a kid made and brand him a bad kid,†Hextall said. “On the other hand, if someone’s got a pattern over and over and over and over, you have to take a longer look at it and try to sift through because … when you look at the character of a player, it’s got a lot to do with whether he turns out to be an NHL player. 'There are a lot of players in the American League that don’t make the NHL because of their character."

This is coming from a guy who has never won a Cup in his life. So, all of a sudden he is an "expert" on character??? Does this baffoon understand the word, "character"? If anything he was often quite the "character" during his playing days, but no Cup to show for it.

Like I mentioned above, there are eerie similarities to attitude shared by Ho-Sang and the Islander's own Denis Potvin. Both thought highly of themselves. Both preferred fine arts and good books. Both were vilified by the media. Both were notoriously late for practice or in Denis Potvin's case an actual game. (Islander fans will remember how Al Arbour punished Denis Potvin for missing the team bus, he never did that again.) Both were not necessarily loved by their teammates. Both were brutally honest and straight talking.

But if confidence in himself and his abilities was the character "flaw" that made Denis Potvin a 4 time Stanley Cup winning captain of one of the greatest hockey dynasties, then I'd say Josh Ho-Sang is in good company. Ask any scout today if they would pass on a Denis Potvin because of his outspokenness and we all know what the answer would be. Ho-Sang is a little "old school" in the way he approaches the media and markets himself. A mini Ali some would say- I love it!

All those teams that crapped on this 17 year old for his confidence are utter fools, and he is going to make them PAY!!!

Well, at least Ron Hextall knows what it takes to be an NHL player. That can't be denied and it's self explanatory. I also fail to understand how winning a Cup or not has any bearing on this: plenty of great players with oodles of knowledge/experience that have never won a Cup. Never mind also that I am sure folks, once they finish their player career, probably go thru extensive training for a management position and also most of the times they take positions that break them in for bigger roles ("Assistant"-xyz). So it might be a case where Hextall might actually indeed be an expert in character too. Who knows...

The 80s are long gone (sadly). Today every action, every phrase is readily available for scrutiny to everyone and professional players can't afford to just be wild, maybe even out of control characters.

A pro team, which essentially is a corporate business, won't allow one of its "employees" to have behavior(s) that are viewed as negative for business.
Look at Tyler Seguin, for example. Kid has oodles of talent, yet little things here and there just piled up and the management just decided they were done and he got traded. One of the first things Dallas did was order him to deactivate his Twitter account...

So to hint that Ho-sang could get away with tons because of his talent, I think it just isn't reality. He will need to fall in line in the mold of a pro hockey player. If he doesn't, he will not have a meaningful career. He wouldn't be the first at that either. I have a gut feeling that the kid has a lot more to grow up into a man, that should be a top priority.