NHL Draft: New York Islanders defend drafting Joshua Ho-Sang

By Josh Hill | Jun 28, 2014

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Joshua Ho-Sang poses for a photo after being selected as the number twenty-eight overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Islanders made some waves on Friday night when they traded back into the first round of the NHL Entry Draft to select controversial rookie skater Joshua Ho-Sang. Lots of teams were turned off by what many perceived as arrogance on the part of Ho-Sang who really did nothing more than say he’d be the best player in the draft in three years time.

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While that’s a seemingly harmless statement, teams were apparently way turned off by Ho-Sang and many dropped him off their draft boards. Nevertheless, Isles general manager Gareth Snow didn’t mind what Ho-Sang said and traded back into the first round to get him before the opening night of the draft was over.

Snow ranted a bit about the hate the Isles may or may not be receiving for drafting the controversial prospect, saying that he could care less what people think as all he wants to do is win and win with the players he thinks will help reach that goal.

"And if those ruffled feathers allowed him to be ripe for Snow’s picking, then he certainly didn’t mind.“I care that we win,” Snow said. “We get the players that we feel can help us win a championship, and we don’t give a sh-t what anyone else thinks.”He then paused for a quick moment before adding, “Except our fans, of course.”"

The drop in stock for Ho-Sang means that there’s even more pressure on him to prove everyone wrong, and that’s not counting the pressure he already put on himself with his bold prediction about his career. Still, he’s an interesting prospect and if he makes the Isles worth talking about then his selection is already paying off.

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