Josh Ho-Sang was drafted 28th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft after being a heralded prospect for years. There were even years, back when they were pre-teens, Ho-Sang was projected to be picked ahead of Connor McDavid. Since his selection, however, Ho-Sang has had a much different path than McDavid.
Ho-Sang, now 23, has only played 53 NHL games, but has collected seven goals and 24 points in that time span. During his longest NHL stretch in 2017-18, Ho-Sang picked up 12 points in 22 games. This is someone who realistically could make an impact at the NHL level, and who scored 43 points in 56 AHL games last season (more than Alex Nylander).
Ho-Sang had a good training camp with the Islanders, and despite a heavy defensive workload (57.1-percent defensive zone start rate), he’s picked up possession stats that include a 50-percent high-danger share, 46.7-percent scoring chance share and has not allowed a high-danger goal against in 46 minutes. All this shows Ho-Sang is fully capable of moving the puck and escaping his own zone, which would be valuable for the Blackhawks.
This is what Ho-Sang has done in his career:
And the Islanders can’t be said to have put Ho-Sang in a position to succeed. They keep sending him to the AHL even though Ho-Sang has already proven to be a capable depth threat and NHL-ready playmaker. Part of that is his defensive reputation, which is believed to be a weak spot, but that’s already the case for many of the Blackhawks’ best forwards. You think Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome have played well in their own end?
Same with Patrick Kane. These guys drive offense, and that’s their job, and they do it well. Ho-Sang is the same way, and while he’s had a defensive deployment in the NHL, he doesn’t see defense as his job, and he said as much, saying:
JHS: “I’m really proud of myself. Defense is … it’s not something I think about. I don’t go to bed thinking about defense, but it’s something that’s really important to the coaches here, and I value the importance to them. I’ve grown to see how it leads to success.” #Isles
— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) September 25, 2019
I don’t think anybody does. I don’t think Marcus Kruger goes to bed thinking about defense, and that’s how he made his money. Yet it’s something Ho-Sang has excelled at, including last season.
Ho-Sang has continued to demonstrate the ability to move the puck, with a career 51.3-percent Corsi-For rate. That’s something the Blackhawks need, especially with a player like Jonathan Toews or Brandon Saad, when Ho-Sang can set up those players and let them play the 200-foot game that they already bring, and add to it himself.
Plus, Ho-Sang has a better points-per-game pace over his career (.45) than Nylander (.32) and could fit better in the Blackhawks’ top nine, possibly with Dominik Kubalik on the third line. Nylander is still waiver-eligible, and has looked unmotivated at times during the preseason. That’s not the problem with Ho-Sang, and it’s clear he no longer fits in the Islanders’ system anyway.
Ho-Sang, Fritz, Hickey on waivers later today, according to Lamoriello.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) September 30, 2019
Why not put in a waiver claim, which is free, on the young forward? If he doesn’t work, the Blackhawks don’t lose anything. If he does work, well, Chicago general manager Stan Bowman’s pattern of trying to rehabilitate players in need of a change of scenery adds another potential success story.