[sureLoss]

The curious case of Josh Ho-Sang:
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/06/24...joshua-ho-sang

According to sources, numerous NHL teams have Ho-Sang on their Do Not Draft List.

And only 18 of 30 teams chose to interview him at the recent NHL Combine — and many came away stunned and disappointed.

Three years ago, on a gifted Marlies GTHL team, the only difference between Ho-Sang and Connor McDavid was — Ho-Sang was the more electric player. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.

Now McDavid is considered a certainty to go first in the draft next year, as a generational player. And the hockey world is confounded by who Ho-Sang is and what he is all about.

I asked a chief scout with a late pick in the first round whether he would select Ho-Sang if he was available, and without hesitating, he answered no.

When I asked why, he said there are certain criteria his organization values, “and if I picked him, my scouts would all revolt. He doesn’t fit what we’re looking for.”

“What you have to understand with Josh is, the hockey world won’t conform to him, he’ll have to conform to the hockey world,” said Jimmy Hughes, the Leafs’ director of player development, who has been watching Ho-Sang play “since he was a bantam.”

“I had a heart-to-heart conversation with him. I told him he has to start utilizing his abilities, maximizing his abilities, sharing the puck more, relying on teammates more. He’s a special kid, a talented kid with god-given abilities.

“But sometimes he gets in his own way. I challenged him — where is your game going? Is it trending up? Or is it trending sideways?”

The Leafs pick eighth in the draft. When asked where Ho-Sang will be picked, Hughes said “he could go from 10 to 20 and he could go from 30 to 40 — I really don’t know what other teams are thinking.’

“The Leafs have said they want to move up to pick first,” Ho-Sang said.

“Well, they can stay at eight and still get the No. 1 pick.”

He was referring to himself.
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