Whatever Happened to Former Maple Leafs PTO Josh Ho-Sang?

Every now and then, a player comes along who makes you wonder what might have happened if things had gone just a little differently. Josh Ho-Sang is one of those players. The New York Islanders selected Ho-Sang 28th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft out of the OHL, and at the time there was plenty of excitement about his talent. He was fast, creative and could do things with the puck that made you sit up and pay attention.

The problem was that the NHL career never really followed the talent.

Ho-Sang never translated his talent into NHL success.

Ho-Sang played just 53 NHL games, scoring seven goals and 17 assists. His last NHL appearance came in 2018-19. There were always questions about consistency, attitude and whether he fit what NHL teams wanted from him. Eventually, the opportunities became fewer and farther between. And this is where his story gets interesting to me.

After spending time in the AHL, including a pretty good stretch with the Toronto Marlies, Ho-Sang tried Sweden and eventually went to the KHL. In 2022-23, he signed with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, but he was injured in his very first game and broke his arm. He barely played.

You might have thought that was the end. It wasn't.

Ho-Sang returned to North America in 2023-24 and joined the Florida Everblades.

Ho-Sang came back to North America and found a home with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. In 2023-24, he was an important part of their Kelly Cup championship team and actually led the entire playoffs in assists. That's pretty good evidence that the hockey ability hadn't simply disappeared.

He returned to the Everblades the following season and still showed flashes. Then, late in December 2025, he tried the KHL again with Salavat Yulaev Ufa. This time, he never even got into a game. Visa problems reportedly prevented him from getting to Russia, and the club released him by the middle of February 2026.

Ho-Sang is 30 years old, a free agent and hasn't appeared in a professional game since the spring of 2025. And that's where I come back to player development.

Professional hockey is tough, even for talented players like Josh Ho-Sang.

We talk about developing young players as if it's a fairly straightforward process. Draft the player, give him coaching, send him to the AHL if necessary, work on the rough edges and eventually you have an NHL player. But what happens when the player doesn't fit the template?

Ho-Sang had NHL-level talent. That was never really the question. The bigger question was whether anyone ever figured out the right environment to get the most out of him. Maybe that's on the player. Maybe it's on the organizations. Probably, as is usually the case, it's somewhere in between.

Ho-Sang may never play professional hockey again, but he has other outlets.

These days, Ho-Sang has also been putting energy into music, releasing an album and several singles dealing with things like pressure, mental health and life away from the spotlight.

It's a pretty interesting second chapter for a player who once looked like he might become an NHL star. The talent was there. The opportunity was there. But it never came together for him. At least, not yet.