Roman Josi (born 1 June 1990) is a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Josi was drafted 38th overall by the Predators in the

2008 NHL Entry Draft The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, but because of ...

. In 2019–20, Josi became the first Swiss player and first player in Predators' franchise history to win the

James Norris Memorial Trophy The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top "defenceman, defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is name ...

as the league's best defenceman. In 2021 he surpassed

Mark Streit Mark Thomas Streit (born 11 December 1977) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was formerly the captain of both the New York Islanders and the Swiss national team. Streit was one of the few swingmen in the NHL who could pl ...

as the highest-scoring Swiss-born NHL player.

Early life

Roman Josi was born on 1 June 1990, in

Bern, Switzerland german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

as the second son to parents Doris and Peter Josi. He grew up in an athletic household as his mother is a former national team swimmer and his father played competitive soccer. Josi played both soccer and hockey as a youth before committing to ice hockey at the age of 10. Both his father and older brother are also involved in ice hockey; Yannic competed with HC Bern Altstadt in SwissDiv3 and Peter serves on the board of directors for SC Bern. He is a supporter of his hometown football club,

BSC Young Boys BSC Young Boys (YB by short abbreviation ) are a Swiss sports club based in Bern, Switzerland. Its first team has won 15 Swiss league championships and six Swiss Cups. YB is one of the most successful Swiss football clubs internationally, reac ...

Playing career

Early career

Josi began with

SC Bern Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English language, English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. ...

in 2006. He was selected by the

in the second round, 38th overall, in the

. He was considered one of the top Swiss prospects in the draft. Josi became a full-time member of Bern during the 2007–08 season after spending the previous two seasons with the club's NLB team. Josi won a

National League A The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league ha ...

championship in 2010.

Nashville Predators

Josi joined the Predators' organization during the 2010–11 season, spending the entire year with the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

. Josi scored his first NHL goal on 10 December 2011, against

Dan Ellis Daniel Ellis (born June 19, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently a goaltending scout for the Chicago Blackhawks. He played in the National Hockey League for the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Tampa B ...

of the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

. He began the 2012–13 season with his youth team,

, because of the

NHL lockout The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four labour actions in the history of the National Hockey League: * The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season * The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the games of ...

. He played alongside NHL stars

John Tavares John Tavares (born September 20, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected first overall by the New York Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft ...

and

. With the lockout resolved, Josi returned to play with the Predators and on 25 February 2013, Josi scored a career-high four points (two goals and two assists) in an overtime home win against the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

. Josi had a career high year during the 2014–15 season, ranking fifth among defensemen in scoring and finishing with a then-career high 55 points. At the end of the season, Josi finished in the top five for the

Norris Trophy The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top " defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is named after Jam ...

vote. During the 2015–16 season, Josi was selected to play in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game along with teammates

Pekka Rinne Pekka Rinne (; born 3 November 1982) is a Finnish former professional hockey goaltender. Drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Rinne became their starting goaltender during the 2008–09 season and quickly established h ...

Shea Weber Shea Michael Weber (born August 14, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman under contract with the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played sixteen seasons in the NHL for the Nashville Predators and M ...

, and James Neal. He finished in the top five again for the Norris Trophy vote. During the 2016–17 season, Josi was selected as an alternate captain along with James Neal. Josi's defensive skill played a crucial role in the Predators

2017 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 12, 2017, after the 2016–17 regular season and concluded on June 11, 2017, with the Pittsburgh Penguins defeating the Nashville Predators four games to two in the ...

run. Despite being placed on long term injury reserve in January, he ended the season with 12 goals and 49 points. Before the 2017–18 season Josi was named the seventh

in Predators history on 19 September 2017. On October 29, 2019, Josi signed an eight-year, $72.472 million contract extension with the Predators. As the captain of the Predators, Josi has also been very active in the community. He has a partnership with the Best Buddies program in Nashville, giving tickets to each game for local kids with special needs. Josi also attends the Best Buddies prom and gala in Nashville with these kids. He won the

in 2020, becoming the first Predators player and the first Swiss to win the award. On April 7, 2022, Josi recorded three assists while scored his 87th point, breaking

Paul Kariya Paul Tetsuhiko Kariya (born October 16, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as a skilled and fast-skating offensive player, he played in the NHL for the Might ...

's previous record (85 in 2005–06) to become the Predators single season points leader in a 3–2 win against the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

. He finished the 2021–22 season with 96 points, becoming the first defenseman to score 90 points in a single season since

Ray Bourque Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial ...

in 1993–94. In recognition of his achievements, he was again a finalist for the Norris Trophy and was for the first time a finalist for the

Ted Lindsay Award The Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players' Association. First awarded in 1971 ...

, awarded by the

NHL Players' Association NHLPA (french: AJLNH) is the trade union, labour union for the group of professional List of NHL players, hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL) located in the United Stat ...

to the league's most outstanding player. He finished second in Norris voting, albeit with the most first place votes, and also was sixth in voting for the

Hart Memorial Trophy The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was donat ...

International play

Josi was selected to play for

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

at the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

. He previously represented Switzerland at the 2007 and 2008

IIHF World U18 Championships The IIHF U18 World Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation for national under-18 ice hockey teams from around the world. The tournament is usually played in April and is organized according to a sy ...

, the 2007, 2008 and 2009

IIHF World U20 Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...

and the 2009

Ice Hockey World Championship The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...

. Josi was selected as the tournament

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

at the

2013 IIHF World Championship The 2013 IIHF World Championship was the 77th event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), held in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland, between 3–19 May 2013. TV4 and MTV3 served as host broadcasters of the event. The ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden. He was selected to play for

Team Europe Team Europe may refer to a number of sports team using the designate to represent a unified team of European countries in sporting competitions. Whilst neither the European Union nor the Council of Europe are countries themselves, European teams ...

at the 2016 World Cup. Josi won a second silver medal with Switzerland at the

2018 IIHF World Championship The 2018 IIHF World Championship was an international ice hockey tournament hosted by the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning, held from 4–20 May 2018. The IIHF announced the winning bid on 23 May 2014 in Minsk, Belarus. South Korea made i ...

in Denmark, falling to Sweden in the shootout.

Personal life

Josi married Ellie Ottaway, a model and musician, on June 20th, 2019. They welcomed their first child, Luca James Josi on February 13, 2021.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

*All statistics taken from NHL.com

International

Awards and achievements

Records

Nashville Predators

* Most Assists (402) * Most Assists in a season (73, 2021–22) * Most Points in a season (96, 2021–22)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Josi, Roman 1990 births Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics Living people Milwaukee Admirals players Nashville Predators draft picks Nashville Predators players James Norris Memorial Trophy winners Neuchâtel Young Sprinters HC players Olympic ice hockey players of Switzerland SC Bern players Ice hockey people from Bern Swiss ice hockey defencemen National Hockey League All-Stars