Islanders Trade Back Into the First Round and Select Josh Ho-Sang

All that was missing was Kevin Connolly.

In a move reminiscent of his 2010 trade back into the first round to select Brock Nelson, Garth Snow traded away the 35th and 57th picks in the 2014 draft to Tampa Bay for the 28th pick.  The Islanders then used the late first round pick to select 5' 11" forward Joshua Ho-Sang from Windsor of the OHL.

Ho-Sang became a popular target for Islanders fans in the couple days leading up to the draft, and he's definitely a high risk-high reward player.  His talent is undeniable.  It's his head and size that are the question marks.

Ho-Sang lead Windsor in both points and goals in 2013-14. He was played on a team with Connor McDavid and was deemed the more electric player.

But when 40% of the NHL clubs refuse to give you a pre-draft interview and there are rumors that many clubs even had you on their No Draft list, you have to be cautious about Ho-Sang.  In fact, this was Corey Pronman's take on the right wing:

NYI select Ho-Sang (my rank: 20), skating and puck skills are outstanding. Creative, but can make poor decisions. Size an issue too.

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) June 28, 2014

So the fact remains, will this be a home run by Garth Snow, or will it be a possible Kirill Kabanov situation?

If Ho-Sang returns to juniors, Eric Hornick reported that he will have to serve a 6 game suspension to start the OHL season. Ho-Sang was suspended for tripping London defenseman Zac Bell in the playoffs.  The hit sent Bell crashing into the boards, breaking his leg.

After drafting Dal Colle, this seems like a risk worth taking.  Ho-Sang is a first round talent.  He could've even been Top 10 talent if his head was in the right place.

Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, Garth Snow showed again that he won't back down from a gamble.

Because unlike his pick 23 selections earlier, Ho-Sang is anything but a safe pick.