I was quite rough on Josh Ho-Sang last year, after what I would consider to be a disappointing rookie season (considering the hype he entered the league with). Ho-Sang played with a lot of frustration in his freshman year, forcing plays, committing turnovers, and demonstrated a severe case of tunnel vision. This season, most of those concerns were improved upon considerably. Quite frankly, I was very impressed with the progression of his game in 2013-14. Ho-Sang was a danger to create scoring chances nearly every time he hit the ice because he was able to display more poise and utilize his teammates better. His stick handling ability is so terrific that he’s able to draw a lot of attention to himself and bide time for his linemates to find holes in the defence.
Ho-Sang is starting to develop patience with the puck and is more comfortable letting defenders come to him, rather than constantly attacking in a north/south style of way. His play away from the puck and effort on the back check got better as the season went on and it’s clear that Windsor’s coaching staff was harping on him to improve in that area. He’s still got a ways to go, but the effort made towards improving is encouraging. All that being said, the way Ho-Sang finished the season looms over him like a black cloud. He was awful in his first round playoff series against London, reverting back to the way he had played last season as rookie, forcing plays and playing recklessly. This came to a head when he sent Zach Bell hard into the boards, breaking his leg. Ho-Sang (whether you agree with it or not) received a 15-game suspension for the act and will miss the first couple of months next season. Then, there’s the mystery of Hockey Canada leaving Ho-Sang off the U18 team, which you can perceive as them not liking his attitude because he’s certainly skilled enough. When we add it all up, we’ve got one heck of a talented player who has some issues surrounding him which could scare off some teams. That said, I was impressed (save for the end of the season) with the improvements Josh Ho-Sang made to his game this year.
– Brock Otten, OHL Prospects
Josh Ho-Sang Highlights
Josh Ho-Sang Statistics
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | | | Postseas. | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11/1/2010 | Toronto Marlboros Minor Mdgt AAA | GTMMHL | - | - | - | - | - | | | ||||||||
12/1/2011 | Toronto Marlboros Minor Mdgt AAA | GTMMHL | 30 | 31 | 48 | 79 | 24 | | | ||||||||
2012-13 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 63 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 22 | -23 | | | |||||||
Canada Ontario U17 | WHC-17 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | | | |||||||||
2013-14 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 67 | 32 | 53 | 85 | 44 | 26 | | | Playoffs | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | -10 |
Josh Ho-Sang often turns heads with his ability to handle the puck with ease in the offensive zone. He has speed and great offensive instincts but needs to work on his game outside of the offensive zone. He has the ability to explode offensively this season and has the potential to be a top ten pick in next years draft. (Tyler Parchem, EP 2013)