ECHL Eastern Conference Finals: Everblades have shot at third straight Kelly Cup Final

Josh Ho-Sang decided that he wasn't done.

Nearly a year ago, the former New York Islander first-round draft pick and Team Canada Olympian was in Russia and facing the possible end of his career. Now he's making a comeback, taking an important role with the Florida Everblades as they seek an ECHL-record third straight Kelly Cup title.

The Everblades open the Eastern Conference Finals tonight in Glens Falls, N.Y. against the Adirondack Thunder. Game 2 is at 7 p.m. Saturday. The video broadcast is on FloHockey and the radio broadcast is on ESPN Southwest Florida.

Last season, in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, Ho-Sang broke his hand in the first game of the season. He did not return until the playoffs, playing briefly in four games as his team Salavat Yulaev made a first-round exit.

"The terms in which my hockey finished was not like how I think any athlete wants to finish, which was getting hurt and kind of calling it from there," Ho-Sang said. "For me, I got pretty banged up with my injury and the rehab process was long and it was taxing, and after that, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do a lot of the things that I love, like making plays and stick handling and being able to contribute to my team every night."

Ho-Sang returned to Toronto, where he rehabbed with renowned hockey trainer Matt Nichol. He recorded a rap album (available on Spotify) and started his current business venture, the PUP Sports app. The app is a platform for active people to meet up for pickup games or other athletic gatherings, with points earned that can be used for discounts at stores.

Working with Nichol and playing in men's leagues in Toronto, Ho-Sang realized that he was doing a lot of the same things that he had done as a professional hockey player, so he decided, why not give it another shot?

"What made me come back was just to see if I could," Ho-Sang said.

With the Everblades, Ho-Sang found a team where he could be competitive and play at a high level, but still have the space to continue his outside ventures. And he has made the most of his opportunity. He is second in the ECHL this postseason in assists with 10, and is on a streak of six games with at least one assist.

"He brings an elite talent," Everblades coach Brad Ralph said. "He can make plays on the power play that most guys can't. His puck possession ability is second to none at this level, and he helps us generate offense in tight-scoring games."

Ho-Sang is not the only newcomer making frequent appearances on the scoresheet. Fellow forward Matt Wedman has contributed three goals and seven assists in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Wedman is wearing his fifth jersey of the season, having played for the Fort Wayne Komets and three AHL teams.

A trade at the literal last minute before the trade deadline gave the Everblades the ECHL rights to Wedman. Since Wedman was still in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers, there was no guarantee that Wedman would play for the Everblades at all this season. But Wedman got released by Calgary just in time for the Kelly Cup playoffs. His first goal as an Everblade was the overtime winner in Game 2 of the South Division finals against the Orlando Solar Bears.

One familiar face who has been lighting the lamp is BoBo Carpenter, who has five goals and five assists this postseason. He scored the series-clinching overtime goal in Game 5 of the South Division Finals at Orlando.

Thanks to two shoulder injuries, Carpenter had never played more than 30 games in a professional season before this one. Last year, he only appeared in five. So he was part of the team for the last two Kelly Cup championships, but not on the bench, in the locker room or doing a lap around the track holding the trophy in celebration.

"You're practicing with the team, and you're there at the rink being with the guys," Carpenter said. "But when it comes to games, you come watch the games but you're not in the locker room, you're not on the bench, you're not going through all that adversity that comes on the ice when the other team is scoring or officials or a bad call or the team didn't just have the jump to start. Kind of going through all that together makes it really special."

However, in this healthy 2023-24 campaign, he's had a career year. In 60 regular season games this year, he scored 28 goals, the first time since college that he has had at least 10.

"It's been great to see BoBo just continue to play a full season," Ralph said. "He's been so consistent for us in terms of scoring goals. I'm happy for him that he gets to finally experience a playoff run."

Goalie Cam Johnson has been making the case to earn his third straight June M. Kelly Award for playoff MVP. Two years ago, he was in his first career postseason, now his name is almost synonymous with it. His 39 career postseason wins are fourth on the all-time list, and he is only 4 behind the third-place holder.

"Cam, he's a winner, number one," Ralph said. "He rises to the occasion. He loves those pressure moments. He's a guy that it certainly brings out the best in him. He's beloved by his teammates. He's an awesome person. He wants to win, and he really does help build our team confidence."

After having the best goals-against average in the league during the regular season, Johnson has been averaging under 2 goals per game in the postseason.

As is typical for an Everblades team, the defense has been effective, as well. Cole Moberg, Zach Uens, and Jordan Sambrook have each won a championship with Florida, so they bring their experience. Moberg and Will Reilly have been offensive defensemen, generating seven points each this postseason. Moberg leads the league with at plus-11 and four goals.

The Adirondack Thunder are led by rookie forward Tristan Ashbrook, who is tied for the league lead in postseason goals with seven. Goalie Isaac Poulter has the league's best goals-against average at 1.74. The Everblades won 4 out of 6 regular season games against Adirondack. But like the Everblades, the Thunder made some late roster moves, so the teams that meet will not be the same as the teams that faced each other during the regular season.

ECHL Eastern Conference Finals

Adirondack Thunder vs. Florida Everblades

Game 1 - Friday at Adirondack, lateGame 2 - Saturday at Adirondack, 7 p.m.Game 3 - Wednesday at Florida, 7:30 p.m.Game 4 - Friday, May 24 at Florida, 7:30 p.m.Game 5 - Saturday, May 25 at Florida, 7 p.m. (If Necessary)Game 6 - Tuesday, May 28 at Adirondack, 7 p.m. (If Necessary)Game 7 - Wednesday, May 29 at Adirondack, 7 p.m. (If Necessary)

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: ECHL playoffs: Florida Everblades vs. Adirondack Thunder in Eastern Conference Final