Josh Ho-Sang
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Joshua Navarro Ho-Sang (born January 22, 1996) is a Canadian professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...
for the
Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliat ...
of the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
. He was selected by the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
in the first round, 28th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'' described him in June 2014 as a "singular hockey player of immense talent, caught on an island of discourse." He said of himself: "I'm more emotional than most people. That poses a problem for the hockey world. A lot of players are trained to hold their emotions... I love to dangle. I love to play an offensive game. I love to celebrate when I score."Steve Simmons (June 24, 2014)
"The curious case of controversial NHL prospect Joshua Ho-Sang,"
''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
''.


Early and personal life

Ho-Sang was born in
Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, to a Jamaican father of
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
and African descent and a Chilean mother of
Russian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...
and
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
heritage. He grew up in the Thornhill neighbourhood of the
Regional Municipality of York The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional ...
, in the Toronto suburbs. He said he has "always celebrated the Jewish holidays like
Chanukah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. Han ...
and the
High Holidays In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim; , ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm'') consist of: #strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"); #by extension, th ...
with family and friends," as well as
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
and
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
. When he was 17 years old, ''Toronto Sun'' writer
Steve Simmons Steve Simmons is a Canadian sports journalist with the ''Toronto Sun'', and nationally syndicated throughout Sun Media. He previously worked as a sports columnist for the ''Calgary Herald'', ''Calgary Sun'', ''London Free Press'', ''The Globe an ...
predicted that he "might be better than all" the previous Jewish ice hockey players (which included the then-current Jewish NHL players centre
Michael Cammalleri Michael Anthony Cammalleri (born June 8, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for five different teams. He was selected in the second round, 49th overall, by the Los ...
, right winger Mike Brown, left winger
Eric Nystrom Eric Thore Nystrom (born February 14, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was a first round selection of the Calgary Flames, taken 10th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, and made his NHL debut with Calgary in 2005. ...
, and centre
Jeff Halpern Jeffrey Craig Halpern (born May 3, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Washington Capitals twice, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Phoenix Co ...
). His father, Wayne, is a black Jamaican professional
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
player from
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...
, whose grandfather is Chinese from Hong Kong; he was also a member of the reggae band Fujahtive. His
business analyst A business analyst (BA) is a person who processes, interprets and documents business processes, products, services and software through analysis of data. The role of a business analyst is to ensure business efficiency increases through their kno ...
mother, Ericka, is
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and was born in
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
, to Russian and Swedish parents.Craig Custance (June 25, 2014). His father immigrated to Canada from Jamaica at the age of 10, and his mother immigrated to Canada from Chile at the age of 12.Bob Duff (November 14, 2014). His brother Khole is five years his junior. At age 13 in November 2014, Khole was a member of Team Ontario in
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
and was slated to play for Canada in the 2015 Snooper Bowl, an international
Pop Warner Football Pop Warner Little Scholars, commonly known simply as Pop Warner, is a nonprofit organization that provides activities such as American football, for over 425,000 youths aged 5 to 16 years old, in several nations. It is the largest youth football ...
competition. As a first degree black belt in
taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
, he finished second in his category at Nationals in 2014, and was named to Team Ontario and the Canadian national team.


Playing career

He was selected by the
Windsor Spitfires The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975 ...
in the first round (5th overall) during the 2012
Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...
(OHL) Priority Selection. He was rated a top prospect. In his first season with the Spitfires, Ho-Sang recorded 44 points in 63 games, finishing sixth among OHL rookies. In December 2012, he played for Team Ontario at the
World U-17 Hockey Challenge The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011, the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. A ...
. In five games, he had three goals and two assists. Ho-Sang skated in the 2014 BMO Top Prospects Game, recording one goal and one assist. On April 5, Ho-Sang received a 15-game suspension (later reduced to six games) for the start of the next season for an illegal hit-from-behind to
London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their ...
'
defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...
Zach Bell on March 27. The hit resulted in Bell suffering a broken leg. Ho-Sang was selected by the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
in the first round (28th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Islanders' general manager
Garth Snow Garth E. Snow (born July 28, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender and former general manager, president, and alternate governor of the New York Islanders of the NHL. Drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the sixth round ...
indicated he was not worried about Ho-Sang fitting in, saying, "He'll fit right in. They shit on me too." Snow also stated "We get the players that we feel can help us win. ndwe don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks." In October 2014, the Islanders signed Ho-Sang to a three-year, entry-level contract. Ho-Sang was returned to the Spitfires for the 2014–15 season. On November 14, he was traded to the
Niagara IceDogs The Niagara IceDogs are a Canadian Hockey League, major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in St. Catharines, Ontario, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was originally known as the Mississauga IceDogs and found ...
in exchange for Hayden McCool and second-round picks in 2016, 2018 and 2019. He finished the season with 81 points in 60 games. Ho-Sang was returned to the IceDogs as punishment for being late to the first day of the Islanders' 2015 training camp. In his final season with the IceDogs, Ho-Sang led the team in scoring with 82 points in 66 games. He also recorded 26 points in 17 postseason games; the team lost in four games to the
London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their ...
during the OHL Finals. Ho-Sang began the 2016–17 season with the Islanders'
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 200 ...
. On February 28, 2017, he was called up by the Islanders on emergency conditions but was returned to Bridgeport just a few hours later. Ho-Sang was recalled the following day and made his NHL debut with the Islanders on March 2, 2017, against the
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
. On March 7, in his fourth NHL game, Ho-Sang scored his first NHL goal, a first-period
power play "Power play" is a sporting term used to describe a period of play where one team has a numerical advantage in players, usually due to a rule violation by the opposing team. Temporary numerical advantage in players during a team sport In several ...
goal against the
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
. Ho-Sang started the 2017–18 season with the Islanders. On October 25, he was assigned to the Sound Tigers after recording four assists in six games. He was recalled on an emergency basis on November 11, 2017. The emergency basis was terminated and changed to a regular recall on November 16. It was short-lived, however, as he was sent back down to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on December 16, 2017, after recording eight points in 15 games. After being named the Sound Tigers' Player of the Week on February 17, 2019, Ho-Sang and
Michael Dal Colle Michael Dal Colle (born June 20, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Dal Colle was selected by the ...
were recalled to the Islanders on March 5. He was returned to the Sound Tigers on March 8 after sitting as a healthy scratch for two games. On August 19, 2019, the Islanders re-signed Ho-Sang to a one-year contract extension. However, on September 30 Ho-Sang was placed on waivers by the Islanders. Ho-Sang cleared waivers on October 1, and was assigned to the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 200 ...
to start the 2019-2020
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
season. On October 3, 2019, it was reported by Islanders general manager
Lou Lamoriello Louis A. Lamoriello (; born October 21, 1942) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey executive who most recently served as the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League ...
that Ho-Sang had requested a trade through his agent. Ho-Sang, despite clearing waivers and being assigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, was asked not to report to or play. Ho-Sang missed the first 10 weeks of the 2019–20 season, as Lamoriello attempted to meet his trade request. Unable to facilitate a trade, Ho-Sang returned to the Islanders organization when he was assigned to the Sound Tigers on December 17, 2019. In 16 games with Bridgeport, Ho-Sang posted 3 goals and 10 points before the Islanders reassigned him to join the
San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was so ...
of the AHL affiliate to the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
, for the remainder of the season on February 28, 2020. As a restricted free agent, Ho-Sang was signed by New York to a one-year contract extension on October 28, 2020. Remaining with the Islanders through the off-season leading into the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season, Ho-Sang attended training camp before he was reassigned by the Islanders on loan to Swedish top-tier club,
Örebro HK Örebro Hockeyklubb, commonly referred to as Örebro HK or Örebro Hockey, (formerly ''HC Örebro 90'') is a Swedish professional ice hockey club located in Örebro. The team is currently playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL; formerly Elitse ...
of the
Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (SHL; ) is a professional ice hockey league in Sweden and the highest level of the ice hockey in Sweden, Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, and while Li ...
(SHL), for the remainder of the season on January 16, 2021. Ho-Sang made just 5 appearances with Örebro, collecting 1 assist, before he was released by the club citing a lack of match fitness on February 10, 2021. Ho-Sang remained in Sweden, agreeing to a loan contract with
Linköping HC Linköping Hockey Club, often known by its Acronym, initials LHC, or Colloquialism, colloquially among its fans as Cluben, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Linköping, founded in 1976. The home arena of the team is Saab Arena (for ...
for the remainder of the season on February 14. On July 28, 2021, Ho-Sang was invited to the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
' 2021–22 training camp on a professional tryout contract (PTO). On October 5, 2021, Ho-Sang signed a standard player contract with the
Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
of the AHL and was subsequently released by the Leafs from the PTO. As a free agent from the Marlies, on July 13, 2022, Ho-Sang signed a one-year contract with Russian club Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL for the
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
season. On March 13, 2024, Ho-Sang signed a contract with the
Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliat ...
of the ECHL for the 2023–2024 season. He won the
Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...
by the end of the season, with his 17 assists leading all players in the 2024 Kelly Cup playoffs. On March 27, 2025, Ho-Sang re-signed with the Everblades, changing his number from 44 to 55 due to defensemen Kurtis Henry's use of the number prior to Ho-Sang's re-signing with the Everblades.


Jersey number

Ho-Sang chose to wear sweater #66 for the Islanders as an homage to
Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984–85 NHL season, 1984 and 2005–06 NHL se ...
, who, in response to the controversy generated by the choice, said he had no problem with Ho-Sang wearing the number. Ho-Sang defended his choice, arguing that he did not merely pay homage to Lemieux's on-ice prowess but also his contributions to the community of Pittsburgh. "He fought and continues to fight for other people," Ho-Sang said. "He thinks outside himself. For me, that's a man worth looking up to. That's why I wear the number. That's the type of guy who's behind that number, and that's what's so inspiring for me...." He is the second player, after Calgary Flames defenceman T. J. Brodie, to wear the number after Lemieux in a regular season game. At the start of the 2018–19 NHL pre-season Ho-Sang was asked by general manager
Lou Lamoriello Louis A. Lamoriello (; born October 21, 1942) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey executive who most recently served as the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League ...
to change his Islanders jersey number, as Lamoriello has long stood by a policy which generally forbids players from wearing any number higher than 35. Ho-Sang chose to wear #26 instead.


International play

In January 2022, Ho-Sang was selected to play for
Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...
at the
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...
.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


Awards and honours


See also

* List of select Jewish ice hockey players


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ho-Sang, Josh 1996 births Living people 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Black Canadian ice hockey players Black Canadian sportsmen Black Jewish people Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey right wingers Canadian people of Chilean descent Canadian people of Chilean-Jewish descent Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent Canadian people of Swedish descent Canadian sportspeople of Chinese descent Canadian sportspeople of Hong Kong descent Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent Florida Everblades players Ice hockey people from Toronto Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Jewish Canadian sportspeople Linköping HC players New York Islanders draft picks New York Islanders players NHL first-round draft picks Niagara IceDogs players Olympic ice hockey players for Canada Örebro HK players Salavat Yulaev Ufa players San Antonio Rampage players Sportspeople from Thornhill, Ontario Sportspeople of Chilean descent Toronto Marlies players Windsor Spitfires players