LSM Player Spotlight: James Hong
December 9, 2023 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Madison Capitols News Release
As a player who's lived in multiple different countries and big cities across the world, a culture shock might be in store when you move to Madison, Wisconsin. That was not the case for James Hong who is now in his third season in the USHL, first with the Capitols.
Hong was born is Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Canada at a young age. Living in markets like Vancouver and Toronto, hockey is instilled in you no matter your past, and Hong continued to play when his family moved to California. His bio may say Irvine, California, but Hong has called so many places home during his lifespan already. One place he can definitely call home as of late is the hockey rink.
The Capitols forward will play in his 150th overall game in the USHL on Friday night with regular season and playoffs both counted. He carries in what is tied with his career long point streak at six games. That matches a streak last season while playing with Waterloo from October 30 to November 19. The streak is also the third longest active point streak in the league.
A streak is not all that James Hong has brought to this Capitols roster. This offseason, a changing of the guard occurred throughout the Capitols team. From head coach to the players themselves, a new look Capitols squad hit the ice in September. A target on veteran guys to bring a new culture with Head Coach and General Manager Andy Brandt was something the team had marked down.
Madison accomplished that goal as they had the most third-year players among any team in the league at the start of the season. Third-year refers to the amount of years spent in the USHL. Among the eight third-year guys on the team, six have not played a full season with Madison. Among that mix is Hong.
Hong played two seasons in Waterloo where he tallied 49 points in 118 games. He was exactly the mold that the Capitols were looking for, and the team acquired Hong on June 8th in exchange for defenseman Nicholas Fascia and future considerations.
Since that point, Hong has made his mark on the Capitols lineup. In fact, he could not have made his mark quicker as he tallied the first goal of the season for Madison on his first shift for the team during the season opener. After a bit of a dry spell after that first goal, Hong has consistently found the scoresheet night in and night out averaging over a point per game since October 28th.
In the thirteen games starting with the the road matchup at the USNTDP U-18's, Hong has registered eight goals and six assists. Included in that are five goals in his past six games, where the streak, mentioned above, started.
The Capitols look to improve on some results as of late, and Hong will look to continue depositing pucks in the back of the net for the same cause. The forward has lined up the past couple of weeks at wing, but with Rainers Rullers heading to World Juniors, an opportunity could perhaps be there for Hong to once again move to the centering role.
Hong and the Caps are at home on Saturday night as they host the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 pm at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena. Tickets are available at tickets.madcapshockey.com.
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United States Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2023
- Lancers Grab a Point in Road Loss to Sioux City - Omaha Lancers
- Fighting Saints Fall to Capitols - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Hawks Win Third and Game - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Gamblers Score Six to Split Weekend Series - Chicago Steel
- Henricks Hattrick Helps Jacks to 6-2 Win in Sioux Falls - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Herd's Empire Falls to Muskegon, 6-2, on Star Wars Night - Sioux Falls Stampede
- LSM Player Spotlight: James Hong - Madison Capitols
- Friday Rewind: Taking a Look at Last Night in the USHL - USHL
- Gameday Preview 12-8-23 - Lincoln Stars
- Fighting Five: Saints Meet Capitols for First Time - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Lancers' Comeback Falls Short in Kearney - Omaha Lancers
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