D Haoxi Simon Wang - Oshawa Generals, OHL (2025 Draft)

[Namejs]

Is he really going to BU next fall? Seems like a stretch he'd play a whole lot. Maybe he'd have more time to train/fill out but a player that raw probably ought to be playing a ton at a lower level instead.

I mean, he might be exceptional academically.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Is he really going to BU next fall? Seems like a stretch he'd play a whole lot. Maybe he'd have more time to train/fill out but a player that raw probably ought to be playing a ton at a lower level instead.

Probably one more year of Junior Hockey, but we'll see

 

[MHO]

It's completely irrational and by this point it should be obvious to everyone. The guy has 0g+2a in 32 games in junior hockey. It's Dean Letourneau all over again, except this kid has not dominated at any level of play in his life.

And yet people are STILL talking about him being a 1st round prospect. It blows my mind.

I didn't say he's a first round prospect. But that doesn't mean he won't go in the first round.

 

[Rogie21]

Is he really going to BU next fall? Seems like a stretch he'd play a whole lot. Maybe he'd have more time to train/fill out but a player that raw probably ought to be playing a ton at a lower level instead.

Wang will be in BU's 2026 recruit class, as he acknowledged in a recent interview. One more season with Oshawa.

 

[Realgud]

I like his game in the playoffs up until this point. Makes some mistakes and some good plays, can push people around him and make his presence felt physically without having that mean streak that you might want in a lower-end big player. I saw some very nice plays in the offensive zone from him and also saw him miscalculate an obvious wide rush and get burned defensively where it shouldn't happen for someone with his size and skating ability. He matched his production in much fewer games and what seems to be not a lot of ice time.

I didn't like his game much in the regular season and understood why people were hesitant about him being a first round pick but I think he has adapted to the OHL pace and has played well in a smaller role behind the very good dmen they have in Oshawa. I think a team will pick him relatively high as a project in a weaker draft class. Some NHL scouts have him in the top 20. His size and skating ability alone will make a few GMs want to pick him early and not wait until he's gone. I don't have a good read on the entire potential top picks of this draft so I won't comment on when he could go on draft day. He should be a nice but understandably risky project.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Boom or Bust Projects aren’t drafted for their D+1, but rather their D+5. Obviously they often don’t work out but when the draft isn’t strong you’re likely just looking at “this guy can probably skate out 300 games on bottom lines” anyways as the next best alternative.

 

[terrierguy11]

Probably one more year of Junior Hockey, but we'll see

The way BU has built out the D-core, I anticipate one more year of juniors.

 

[WarriorofTime]

The way BU has built out the D-core, I anticipate one more year of juniors.

Unless it's a scenario (with C. Hutson) like where BC thought W. Smith was coming back, and then he went pro and a spot unexpectedly opened up to bump a guy (Letorneau in this case) up a class year, I suspect that's right on Wang's timing into college.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Wang could use two more years in junior. He probably won’t be on the top pair next year in Oshawa (and even if he is—he won’t be among the best top pairing d-man in the OHL), and he definitely isn’t going to be in the top four if he goes to BU next year. Two more years in junior, the last one of which he should be on track to be a top pairing d-man QB’ing the power play will be a lot better for his development than playing 15-16 min a night 35 games a year. If he’s still green in 2026-27, hopefully the NHL has changed how CHL draftee rights work so his NHL team can have him go to BU without losing his rights.

Maybe he shows a lot next year and could stay on track for BU at 19 but right now I don’t see that making sense from a development perspective. Wang can be a very good NHL defensemen if he keeps on the same track and how he does that right now is more games.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Wang could use two more years in junior. He probably won’t be on the top pair next year in Oshawa (and even if he is—he won’t be among the best top pairing d-man in the OHL),

He's 2nd pair right now and the LHD on the first pair is an '05 that has a signed ELC (Columbus 3rd rounder Luca Marrelli). The 3rd pair guy is a late '05 that didn't get drafted, so he could potentially be an OA.

 

[Uncle]

I mean, he might be exceptional academically.

what makes you say that

 

[Namejs]

what makes you say that

Because he's shit at hockey.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Because he's shit at hockey.

You have a weird vendetta against this kid

 

[yessir29292]

Because he's shit at hockey.

I have watched Oshawa a lot recently. I do not think its a far stretch that he will end up being a much better player than Danford and Gibson in 5 years... Did you have a problem with how high they went?

 

[Hockeyville USA]

We thinking he could be a Joel Edmundson type? Absolutely no offense but solid defensively with some bite/edge? Maybe some Jamie Oleksiak in there or no?

 

[Rusty8719]

We thinking he could be a Joel Edmundson type? Absolute no offense but solid defensively with some bite/edge? Maybe some Jamie Oleksiak in there or no?

Yeah this. Any 6'4+ stay at home dman is his comp. All of his development hinges on his mobility (straight-line forward and backward, pivoting, edges, etc).

He's really raw but details like puck skills (as in, corner retrievals and can make pro-style transition passes) and smarts are sort of there and that's what's enticing. If his skating hits, there's other tools maybe there for a top 4 role.

For what it's worth I think he's terrible right now. Really weak on pucks, really slow, really bad skater. But he's only 17 I guess.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Yeah this. Any 6'4+ stay at home dman is his comp. All of his development hinges on his mobility (straight-line forward and backward, pivoting, edges, etc).

He's really raw but details like puck skills (as in, corner retrievals and can make pro-style transition passes) and smarts are sort of there and that's what's enticing. If his skating hits, there's other tools maybe there for a top 4 role.

I would have him a do-not-draft in round 1 and 2 because you're probably fired as a GM before he becomes an NHL ready player (if ever).

I could see a team with multiple 2nds like Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston, San Jose gambling on him, but yeah, I'd be more comfortable taking a project after all of the top talent on my board is gone, which is probably at the beginning of the 3rd round.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Yeah this. Any 6'4+ stay at home dman is his comp. All of his development hinges on his mobility (straight-line forward and backward, pivoting, edges, etc).

He's really raw but details like puck skills (as in, corner retrievals and can make pro-style transition passes) and smarts are sort of there and that's what's enticing. If his skating hits, there's other tools maybe there for a top 4 role.

For what it's worth I think he's terrible right now. Really weak on pucks, really slow, really bad skater. But he's only 17 I guess.

I thought skating is a strength?

 

[qcal1427]

Boom or Bust Projects aren’t drafted for their D+1, but rather their D+5. Obviously they often don’t work out but when the draft isn’t strong you’re likely just looking at “this guy can probably skate out 300 games on bottom lines” anyways as the next best alternative.

This doesn't mean you can just ignore their D-1 and D+0 years though. Obviously Wang is a very special player in terms of his development and path to the top level up to this point. That doesn't mean that 2 points in 32 OHL games and isn't a massive red flag.

Also, getting a guy who skates 300 games on bottom lines is a massive success story for basically anyone after say pick 20

 

[Rusty8719]

I thought skating is a strength?

I mean, relatively for a 6'6 17 year old? Maybe...?

I think most people who have actually watched him and are suggesting skating is a strength are evaluating him with King / Brantford. I've watched a lot of his packages with those teams and he really stood out positively - including skating.

However, with Oshawa it's very clear to me the jump in speed, skill and compete is too much for his current skating skills. It's like a night and day difference between the two levels.

So is the skating is a relative plus for a 6'6 guy if you're projecting many years out? I think it's clear there are scouts that say yes and scouts that say no.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Also, getting a guy who skates 300 games on bottom lines is a massive success story for basically anyone after say pick 20

Nah, disagree, take 2016 draft for instance, 28 skaters have played over 300 nhl games already and that draft is only 27 years old so reckon a number more will still get there. Max Jones would be an example of a random late 1st round pick that fits this bill. Drafted by Anaheim. ELC then a dirt cheap three year bridge through RFA years and then no qualifying offer, now on a league minimum deal, league wide waiver fodder, throw in on the Trent Frederic deal and scratched by the Oilers in the postseason. Was he a "massive success story" just because he's scraped together an NHL career? At a certain point, you just get replaceable depth that gets passed around the league for a bit and the role that they would fill as a guy coming up from your system can be filled with a league minimum vet just as easily.

 

[qcal1427]

Nah, disagree, take 2016 draft for instance, 28 skaters have played over 300 nhl games already and that draft is only 27 years old so reckon a number more will still get there. Max Jones would be an example of a random late 1st round pick that fits this bill. Was he a "massive success story" just because he's scraped together an NHL career? At a certain point, you just get replaceable depth that gets passed around the league for a bit and the role that they would fill as a guy coming up from your system can be filled with a league minimum vet just as easily.

That's less than one per team ...

Also highly disagree with this part, depth is not easily replaceable and there are a ton of benefits to having depth guys that you've brought up through your system.

To bring it back to Wang the opportunity cost of taking a huge project like him or Letorneau in the first or second is higher than you think it is.

 

[WarriorofTime]

That's less than one per team ...

So what, the 20 x 32 per night NHL spots are filled somehow someway with like 93.5 % falling with a range of 15 draft years. At a certain point (basically the latter half), those guys become UFAs and if they are just depth players as the vast majority end up becoming, will just end up moving around a lot through those years until they don't interest the league any longer.

Also highly disagree with this part, depth is not easily replaceable and there are a ton of benefits to having depth guys that you've brought up through your system.

The main benefit is you can get them for cheap and wait around to see if they become anything more intriguing than a random dude to plug into a lineup.

To bring it back to Wang the opportunity cost of taking a huge project like him or Letorneau in the first or second is higher than you think it is.

Sure, the opportunity cost of either not having a pick or having a pick that falls completely flat is you don't have a new roster player to churn through during those ELC and early RFA years, and the bigger picture opportunity cost is you don't get someone that could have really helped your team in an important and meaningful way. The upside of what you're chasing in that second part though is what is far more meaningful as to why these projects continue to get drafted where they do even though so and so from the third round will have more points as a college freshman the next year.

 

[qcal1427]

So what, the 20 x 32 per night NHL spots are filled somehow someway with like 93.5 % falling with a range of 15 draft years. At a certain point, those guys become UFAs and if they are just depth players as the vast majority end up becoming, will just end up moving around a lot through those years until they don't interest the league any longer.

The main benefit is you can get them for cheap and wait around to see if they become anything more intriguing than a random dude to plug into a lineup.

Sure, the opportunity cost of either not having a pick or having a pick that falls completely flat is you don't have a new roster player to churn through during those ELC and early RFA years, and the bigger picture opportunity cost is you don't get someone that could have really helped your team in an important and meaningful way. The upside of what you're chasing in that second part though is what is far more meaningful as to why these projects continue to get drafted where they do even though so and so from the third round will have more points as a college freshman the next year.

When is the last time one of these projects that don't score in their D-1 to D+2 though has actually paid off? Tom Wilson?

 

[WarriorofTime]

When is the last time one of these projects that don't score in their D-1 to D+2 though has actually paid off? Tom Wilson?

What's the complete list of players we're defining as "projects" to ensure we're on the same page?