Former top pick Ho-Sang speaks out about being “buried” in minors

This kid has got to go, right? Any takers?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Former top pick Ho-Sang speaks out about being “buried” in minors
Zuma Press

New York Islanders prospect Josh Ho-Sang hasn’t made many allies in his short time with the organization. The former first round pick (28th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft) has played just 43 games for the Isles since being drafted over four years ago, putting up a stellar six goals and 22 points along the way. 

Expected to crack the team’s opening night roster after two up and down seasons spent between the Isles and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers the past two years, Ho-Sang was an early cut in training camp and demoted back to Bridgeport. In nine games with the Sound Tigers to start the season, Ho-Sang has no goals and just four assists.

The thing is… Ho-Sang has elite NHL skill and talent. The kid just can’t seem to figure out the defensive side of the game, making him a liability whenever he’s not in the offensive zone. Then there’s the perceived attitude issues and the self-entitlement that some people say is a problem with Ho-Sang. 

In any case, the situation between Ho-Sang and the Islanders may be coming to a head, especially after the comments he made to the New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis earlier today. In his latest column for the Post, Crygalis speaks with Ho-Sang, who claims he’s been buried in the minors by the organization on purpose and without merit.

Check out some of these comments from Ho-Sang taken from Cyrgalis’ column:
 
“I felt like they had their minds made up on what was going to happen and what the team was going to look like,” Ho-Sang said. “It’s OK. They had the whole summer to plan that. I don’t know if you watched any of the games, but I didn’t play a lot. It’s OK. It is what it is.”
“Lou has his morals, and you don’t have to agree with them, but those aren’t going to change.”
“They tell me they want me to be a top-six forward up there, but I’m not a top-six forward down here, so it’s confusing,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s like you’re sprinting with a rubber band on. You constantly have tension. You run until you’re exhausted and then the band is going to pull you back. If I was going to say anything, it would be just watch. I’m just pointing it out.”

It’s clear that the kid is frustrated. Maybe a change of scenery is what’s needed for all parties involved? For what it’s worth, Ho-Sang is happy to follow his marching orders, whether those orders are with the Islanders or another organization.

“I just do what they tell me,” he said. “My phone is always on.”

Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson feels that Ho-Sang has tremendous skill and upside, but the 22 year old still has lots of work to do if he’s ever going to become a regular NHLer.

“Big upside,” Thompson said. “Obviously you see his skill set. He has to learn when is the right time to use that and when is the right time to make the simple play and be a little predictable for his teammate.

“But if you were to project him to the NHL, listen, he’s a top-six guy, maybe a top-nine guy, especially if he cleans up his play away from the puck. When he has the puck, we want him to score, we want him to create, we want him to use his speed. That’s something that we encourage. It’s just that there are sometimes that time and situation dictates [otherwise], and it’s him learning when that is.”