Roman Josi Becomes First Player To Accomplish This Notable Feat

Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi is having a Norris Trophy-caliber season, and his latest accomplishment is one for the record books.

In Thursday’s 8-4 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Josi picked up three assists — his sixth three-point game of the season — giving him 500 for his career and making him the first Swiss-born player to reach 500 career assists.

The next-closest Swiss-born player is Mark Streit, who retired in 2018 and had 338 assists over 12-year career. The next-closest active player is Josi’s former teammate Kevin Fiala, who has 247 assists in 560 career games.

Congratulations to Roman Josi, who becomes both the first Swiss-born player and first member of the @PredsNHL to reach 500 NHL assists! pic.twitter.com/UHSjpk67kL

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) March 29, 2024

Josi is also the only Predators player to reach 500 career assists. David Legwand is No. 2 on the Predators’ all-time assists list with 356 in 956 games.

Josi’s 677 points are also the most by a Swiss-born player in NHL history — a record he held prior to the start of the season. He’s a good 235 points clear of the next-closest player on that list, Nino Niederreiter (442 points).

“He’s been phenomenal the whole stretch and pretty much all year,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said after Tuesday’s win over Vegas. “He just takes your team on his back and goes. … I’ve said this a few times, but I think we kind of get spoiled with him and we take him for granted.”

Roman Josi has firmly entered the Norris Trophy conversation. 😤@PredsNHL | #Preds pic.twitter.com/xipDHtrNo5

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) March 29, 2024

Josi’s three-point game extended his point streak to eight games and marked his 11th multi-assist game of the year.

The 33-year-old blue-liner is gaining ground in the Norris Trophy race, of which Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes (-650 odds) and Colorado’s Cale Makar (+350 odds) are the current betting favorites. He’s also been getting some run as a potential Hart Trophy contender as well, which is given annually to the most valuable player in the NHL.

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