The New York Islanders signed 2014 first-rounder (28th overall) Joshua Ho-Sang to an entry-level deal on Saturday, bringing him a step closer to backing up his pretty bold words.
Heading into the draft, the 18-year-old claimed that he possesses “No.1 overall talent.” His willingness to be bluntly confident earned him the title of “most controversial player” of the 2014 NHL Draft and the Isles clearly were excited to see him try to make good on such proclamations, sending the 35th and 57th choices to Tampa Bay to grab him with that 28th pick.
(Then again, GM Garth Snow isn’t shy about dangling an entire draft board to try to grab a player, so maybe take that with a grain of salt?)
For all the polarizing bluster, he did lead the Windsor Spitfires with 85 points in 67 games and tied for 17th overall in OHL scoring, so there was some substance to go with that sizzle.
It should be awfully interesting to see what Ho-Sang can accomplish whenever he manages to star burning those entry-level years.