Josh Ho-Sang Is Not Going to Make the Toronto Maple Leafs Roster

The preseason doesn’t mean anything in professional sports, but for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Ho-Sang, it means everything.

The 25-year-old has had a very good training camp and he’s shown every Toronto Maple Leafs fan why he was signed to a PTO. This was highlighted last week when Michael Bunting had a hattrick and Ho-Sang picked up three assists.

Despite being drafted in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Ho-Sang has only played in 53 career NHL games. In those games he has scored at a second-line rate, but for whatever reason, has never been able to stick in the league regularly.

It didn’t work out with the New York Islanders organization and Ho-Sang eventually ended up overseas to play hockey in Sweden. After a year of playing in the SHL, Ho-Sang is back to show the hockey world that he deserves an opportunity in the NHL. (stats from hockeydb.com).

Toronto Maple Leafs and Josh Ho-Sang

Throughout the first two weeks of training camp, Ho-Sang has been great. He’s shown that his offensive skillset is still elite and that he can skate like the wind.

The Leafs, unfortunately for Ho-Sang, are a deep team with very few jobs up for grabs.  There are 12 openings on a hockey team, and on the Leafs four are locked in. Of the remaining eight, they very clearly seem to be going to Kase, Kampf, Bunting, Ritchie, Spezza, Simmonds, Mikheyev and Kerfoot.   Brooks and Engvall will fill out the roster, most likely.

So barring a surprise, Ho-Sang – assuming the Leafs offer him a contract – will start with the Marlies.

At this point in his career, Ho-Sang deserves a spot in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, but it’ll have to be with the Toronto Marlies to start. If he can serve as a leader on that team and show management that he can handle time in the AHL, while lighting it up offensively, they may make room for him with the big club.  The odds are the Leafs will use between 15 and 20 forwards to get through the entire season, and Ho-Sang should get a chance then.

We don’t know yet that the Leafs will for sure offer him a contract, but based on his play over the last couple of weeks, it does seem likely.

Although it’s a great story and we all hope that Ho-Sang eventually becomes a full-time NHLer, it will probably have to wait a little longer, as it looks like he’ll be starting the year with the Marlies.