Josi's Impact Felt Throughout Preds Franchise, Nashville and Beyond as Game No. 1,000 Arrives

Sure, there’s always the hope of finding a diamond in the rough. That’s the magic of the NHL Draft.

But when the Predators called Roman Josi’s name in the second round of the 2008 edition, they couldn’t have possibly seen what was to come.

Yes, Nashville’s scouting staff was high on the young Swiss defenseman - they thought enough of him to trade up in the selection order to get him before another team could at 38th overall. They were impressed with him in the months ahead of that moment, too.

But if anyone were to say they knew the kid from Bern was set to become a Norris Trophy winner, the franchise leader in a majority of statistical categories - and the first player to appear in 1,000 games in club history?

Well, let’s not kid ourselves.

Not even the brightest hockey minds saw that coming. Josi probably didn’t either. But now, as Nashville’s captain skates in regular season game No. 1,000 on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena, he’ll become a member of a rare club - just the 84th player in NHL history to reach the milestone with a single team.

And if 1,000 games on the ice has been enough time to establish himself as one of the world’s greatest defensemen, then those 15 years in Nashville have certainly confirmed how much he means to this franchise as a whole.

“What comes to mind is how lucky we are to have Roman,” former Preds General Manager and current Senior Advisor David Poile said while reflecting on Josi’s milestone. “It changes your whole franchise around to get a player like Roman Josi - for how good he was as a player, how many games he played for us, how he helped us to be competitive and win and win and win year after year. And then you add into that the fact that he's one of the nicest people that you'll ever meet, and fits into the culture, the framework of our franchise, of the city of Nashville, of Tennessee, and has always given his time for the community - he’s probably one of the most loved athletes that has ever played here. In terms of his impact on our franchise, hard to say many players have had as much impact as Roman has had on our franchise.”

At the very least, Jeff Kealty was pretty sure he wanted to take a chance on Josi.

Nashville’s Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting was still helping to run the show back in 2008, a time when he believed Swiss players were undervalued. But once he saw Josi in the summer of 2007, Kealty knew he was at least worth a few extra looks.

The first pick in Round Two for the Predators that year wasn’t set to come until No. 46. Kealty was certain Josi wouldn’t last that long, so Poile went to work to find a partner to trade up. The GM found a match at No. 38, and once Josi was still available, the deal was made so the Preds could get their guy.

“I think if you knew [he was going to be one of the best defensemen in the League], he would have been like Top 10, Top 5,” Kealty laughed. “But you always hope, you know what I mean? That’s the beauty of the Draft - you’re always looking for that guy… But I will say this: he’s always a guy that we had our eye on early, had a really good feeling about him, and we did trade up for him in that Draft… We liked him. Had a good feeling about him to do all that…and I couldn't be happier for him.”

“Our scouting staff kind of picked him out of the crowd real early,” Poile recalled. “I mean, they had a strong feeling about him really early… They were absolutely bang on - probably one of the best draft choices we've ever had in the Nashville Predators history.”

Josi has proven that to be fact time and time again.

No matter the time and place, the 2020 Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defenseman has shown up night after night, always ready to make the big play on the ice or support the community off of it.

“To me, getting to 1,000 games is a testament to the person,” Preds CEO Sean Henry said. “I'm always so impressed with people that hit that milestone, because it is something they're willing themselves to, period. Then you add on the fact that he’s played for a single team, that goes back to the individual, and that's sheer loyalty… He wants this team to do things we've never done before on the ice, in the community, and look at what he and [his wife] Ellie have done, how they personally touch organizations.

“I think the sheer amount of time he's willing to give to individuals, too, you never feel like he's rushed. And you pass him in the hallway, in the locker room… I mean, he probably knows more people's names in the organization than you and I combined, because he cares, and it's so contagious. You can’t have a bad day when you're around him. Just can’t.”

The amount of care Josi puts into his relationships permeates everything he does. And for someone who is looked to as the on-ice leader of the franchise, that attitude is infectious.

“We see every night and appreciate how great of a defenseman he is, but he's even a greater person,” Preds General Manager Barry Trotz said. “You talk about a Nashville Predators draft pick, what would you want him to be? If you're going to be Roman Josi, and not just the player, but the person, and how he treats people, and how he cares, how he takes care of himself, all the stuff he's been involved in in the community, Roman would be exactly what you would be the blueprint for any Nashville Predators draft pick, from the start of this franchise to when this franchise is 100 or 200 years old.”

Perhaps that’s what’s most impressive of all - for as good a hockey player as Josi is, his personality, his demeanor and his aura is even better.

The Predators franchise - and the city of Nashville - is better off because Josi has been here for 1,000 games. And while he won’t have 1,000 more in him, his place in the fabric of the culture will last long after his career is done.

But Josi isn’t finished just yet. Instead, the milestone is simply causing everyone to appreciate him just a bit more than usual.

No one else is more deserving of the praise.

“As the captain of our team, the first thing you look to is on the ice,” Poile said. “But equally, if not more important in this case, is that Roman is our best representative in the community, day after day, year after year. He’s always there to meet people, to greet people, to participate in charitable ventures. And we've all learned since moving to Nashville, Tennessee, it's the Volunteer State, and he's totally got that. When we drafted Roman, we not only got a great player, but we got a great, great person. Doesn't get much better than that.”