Werenski shares Norris Trophy honor with family

There was a special guest two Sundays ago when the Werenski family gathered for an afternoon barbecue. 

Here’s guessing it wasn’t hard to find a spot at the table for the James Norris Memorial Trophy. 

Blue Jackets alternate captain Zach Werenski was surprised with the award – which is presented each season to the NHL’s best defenseman – in a video feature released today by the league, and he wasn’t the only one. 

As guests gathered, Werenski was out for a round of golf, then returned home where he was told the NHL was working on a Father’s Day story. Only two members of the family knew the real reason the league was at his suburban Detroit home, though – his wife, Odette, and brother, Brad. 

Odette helped organize the surprise with the NHL, while Brad had to know because his wife had given birth the night before. Everyone else was a bit shocked, though, when in the midst of an interview with the league, the Norris Trophy was carried into the backyard by Glenn Stants from the Hockey Hall of Fame and presented to Werenski.

Even if he now says had an inkling something was coming, Werenski was still grateful for how things developed because he got the share the moment with those who mean the most to him. 

“I feel like I was definitely surprised when you see the trophy, but I guess in the back of my mind, (I was) like, ‘I don’t know, something is not adding up here,’” Werenski said. “But it’s one of those things where until you actually know and you actually see it and you turn around and see the Norris Trophy, I was surprised. 

“I think the best part was how surprised my family was. I think the only people that knew were Odette and my brother. Just seeing my parents’ reaction, everyone that was over, that’s the best part about it all is how surprised they were.” 

The first CBJ player to win the NHL honor, Werenski received 1,589 points in the voting, outpacing fellow finalists Cale Makar of Colorado (1,191) and Rasmus Dahlin of Buffalo (657). He received 113 first-place votes on the 198 ballots and was mentioned on 196 of them. 

Being chosen the best in the NHL at his position and being presented with the large piece of silver to prove it is one of the crowning achievements of what has been a whirlwind two seasons for Werenski. In the past two years, he finished second in the Norris Trophy voting then won it; he competed multiple times for Team USA, winning gold medals at the IIHF World Championships and 2026 Winter Olympics; and he married Odette last summer and saw the birth of his first child, a son named Hudson, just a few short weeks ago.  

“It’s been a long list of accomplishments, and I wouldn’t be here without a great support system and a great family and great friends,” he said. “This just caps off a really great two seasons for me. I feel very honored. I feel very blessed. If you look around the league at how many great defensemen there are, you could have made a case for seven or eight guys to win this trophy this year, so it definitely feels special. 

“Obviously it’s an individual recognition, but it wouldn’t happen without great teammates and great people around me. I’m very, very happy with this and gonna enjoy it a little bit, and obviously thank my teammates for helping me get here.” 

Werenski’s list of accomplishments has been extensive, as he was the only defenseman to lead his NHL team in scoring this year, totaling 22 goals and a CBJ record-tying 59 assists for 81 points in 75 games. He led all NHL blueliners in even-strength points per game and multipoint games (26), a new franchise record, and was second in the NHL in average time on ice at 26:37 per game.

On the heels of last year’s 23-goal, 82-point campaign, Werenski is the only NHL defensemen to top 20 goals and 80 points in each of the last two seasons. He and Makar (2024, ‘25) are the only blueliners this century to pass the 80-point mark in consecutive seasons and just two of nine in league history; he’s also one of just four active D in the league with three 20-goal seasons.  

We could keep going, but it’s all a testament to how far Werenski has come in his 10 years with the Blue Jackets. He was a decorated player growing up and chosen eighth overall in the 2015 draft, then had immediate success in the NHL – he was third in the Calder Trophy voting as a rookie – on the way to All-Star bids in 2018 and 2022. 

But Werenski has jumped into the elite echelon of the game’s top players the past two seasons; in addition to the Norris recognition, he finished seventh in the Hart Trophy voting last year and will surely get more MVP votes this season. 

“I think I always believed in myself,” he said. “I think I always thought it was possible, but it’s hard. It’s extremely hard. I’m not saying anything that you guys probably don’t know. You’re going up against so many great players and so many great defensemen. I think that’s the beauty of it. Everyone’s situation is different, every team is different, everyone’s roles are different, but we all push each other and you can find motivation in a lot of things, whether that’s trying to win a Norris or making the Olympic team or trying to make the playoffs. 

“Whatever it is that makes you play your best and help the team, I think that’s the most important. On certain days when I might not have felt my best, obviously it’s all about winning, but you don’t lose sight of the goals you have. Winning the Norris was one of my goals. It can motivate you in a lot of ways, but these last two seasons, I feel very blessed and honored to be recognized as a finalist and this year to win it.” 

And as Werenski noted, the individual accolades are nice, but a quick story goes to show his never-ending drive to push the Blue Jackets to success. The day after he was presented with the Norris Trophy, he was back in the gym and on the ice as he works toward pushing the Blue Jackets back into the NHL postseason. 

His spring has been filled with family time, especially considering Hudson was born less than a month ago, but he’s found himself drifting toward the couch each night to watch the best teams in the world battle for a Stanley Cup. A year from now, he’d love to win another Norris Trophy, but he’d like to still be playing when it happens.  

“That’s the ultimate goal is to win that Cup,” Werenski said. “I feel like the last few seasons being at the World Championships, I really haven’t watched playoff hockey too much. This year, I’ve actually sat down and watched pretty much every game, and that’s where I want to be a year from now. I think the motivation is as high as ever, and I can name a few things that are motivating, but I definitely think the Stanley Cup is the biggest one for me.”