Haoxi Wang vs Ottawa 11/28

Haoxi Wang was a bit of a surprise when the San Jose Sharks drafted him 33rd overall in this summer's draft. Wang is a newcomer to hockey, but oozes potential. His 6'6" frame and smooth skating are hard for any coach not to think about what he could turn into. Wang was sent back to the OHL to play with the Oshawa Generals this season before heading to the NCAA to play with Boston University.

Wang's stat line in the Generals' 2-1 loss to the Ottawa 67s on Friday, November 28, 2025:

1 goal, 0 assists, 1 SOG, 5 PIM

Three observations from Wang's performance:

A Physicality To His Game

When you're 6'6", you are expected to be a big physical player, and Wang is starting to live up to those expectations.

Wang lays a clean hit in the middle of the ice and then has to stick up for himself. While Wang probably won't be a feared enforcer when he gets into the NHL, it's good to know that he isn't afraid to drop the gloves when necessary.

A 50/50 puck, and Wang uses his size to knock the forward off his path and win the puck.

Uses his size just to come in and separates the man from the puck. Kuhta (22) is 6'2" and 199 pounds, and Wang just moves him out of the way. He does a great job of finding an outlet pass as well to start the transition.

Another benefit of being 6'6" and 225 pounds is that it should be hard to knock off the puck. Wang braces for the check, protects the puck, and makes a pass to an open teammate, then he drives to the net. While he doesn't get a pass or shot off, it's a good process, and we reward that here.

There is a difference between being physical for the sake of being physical, and being physical with a purpose. Wang is being physical with a purpose.

Still Mistakes To Correct

While Wang's physicality was on display, there were still mistakes that showed Wang's rawness as a player.

Here Haoxi Wang gets caught puck watching and loses his man who tips in the shot for the game winning goal with 35 seconds left. That is just a mental error that cannot happen.

Wang gets beat on the outside because he is too late to realize the winger has speed. Wang needs to be further back and luckily gets bailed out by his defenseive partner on the 2 on 1.

While the confidence is growing with Wang, there are still issues in the offensive zone. Here he gets stripped of the puck trying to make a move when he had 96 wide open with plenty of time and space. Good backcheck effort by Wang though to help break up the potential 3 on 1.

No player will play a completely perfect game, and the hope is to minimize these types of mistakes from Wang. Most of these are just poor decisions based on positioning. As Wang continues to play more hockey, these should continue to clear themselves up.

Continued Growth In Confidence

Haoxi Wang continues to see growth with his puck handling and decision making.

Nothing too fancy here, Oshawa wins the faceoff and Wang does a great job of waiting for traffic in front of the net before letting it rip. Want's shot is an underrated part of his game and he would benefit from showing it off more.

Wang gets the puck deep, scans for an open forward, realizes that Ottawa is giving him time and space and takes it. Then he makes a solid play along the boards to get the puck in deep. Too often Wang will look to make a pass, but when he does take the ice that is given, positive things tend to happen.

Wang is coming through the neutral zone with speed, makes a little touch pass to his winger and then drives to the net. While nothing comes of it, you like to se Wang continue to activate when given the opportunity.

Overall Wang continues to show overall improvements in his game and more confidence in his skills and game. The mistakes will continue to be there for Wang, because of the sheer lack of high end hockey that he's played, but the progress is substantial in a short amount of time.