EDMONTON – Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators is the 2019-20 recipient of the James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position,” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Josi was a top-three pick on all 170 ballots, including 109 first-place selections, for 1,499 voting points. Second-place John Carlson of the Washington Capitals was the top choice of 56 voters in collecting 1,267 points, while third-place Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning garnered four first-place votes and 820 points.
Josi led the Predators in scoring with 16-49–65 in 69 games, a franchise record for defensemen. His 65 points surpassed the previous mark of 61 he had recorded in 2015-16 and his 16 goals also marked a career high. The Nashville captain’s 12-game point streak (7-13–20) from Dec. 16-Jan. 9 set another franchise record for defensemen and was the longest by any blueliner since Philadelphia’s Shayne Gostisbehere (15 games) in 2015-16. Josi ranked among the top three League defenders in several categories, including shots (1st, 260), points (2nd, 65), goals (t-2nd, 16), assists (2nd, 49) and average time on ice (3rd, 25:47).
Josi is the first Swiss-born player to win an individual honor at the NHL Awards. The 30-year-old Bern native also is the first Norris Trophy winner in Predators history.
For more on the Norris Trophy, including a list of past winners, click here.
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