Sharks Defenseman Erik Karlsson Wins James Norris Trophy

The National Hockey League announced today that San Jose Sharks (

) defenseman Erik Karlsson (

) has won the James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded annually 'to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.' The award is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Karlsson is the ninth-ever NHL defenseman to win the award three times, joining Bobby Orr (eight), Nicklas Lidstrom and Doug Harvey (seven), Ray Bourque (five), and Chris Chelios, Paul Coffey, Pierre Pilote and Denis Potvin (three). His previous two wins came in 2011-12 and then again in 2014-15, and is the only active player with multiple Norris trophies in his career. This was his fifth time as a finalist.

Karlsson is the second Sharks defenseman to win the award, joining Brent Burns (2016-17).

Karlsson, 32, became the sixth-ever defenseman to reach 100 points in a season and the first since Brian Leetch in 1991-92, finishing the year with 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists). He led NHL defensemen in goals, assists and points, was third among the group in takeaways (81) and fifth with 25:37 time on ice per game. He had 74 even-strength points, fourth-best among all NHL skaters this season and seventh-most by a defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Coffey and Orr. His 1.23 points-per-game clip was the third-best in the past three decades among all defensemen who appeared in five or more games in a given season, trailing only Coffey's 1.29 in 45 games in 1994-95 and Bourque's 1.26 in 72 games in 1993-94.

The Landsbro, Sweden native factored into 43.35-percent of San Jose's 233 goals on the year, the highest single-season percentage by a defenseman in the NHL's modern era (since 1943-44), surpassing Bobby Orr's 1969-70 effort of 43.32-percent. Karlsson also achieved San Jose's second-ever 100-point campaign, joining Joe Thornton (114 points, 2006-07), became the second Sharks skater to reach 70 assists in a season (Thornton, twice) and set franchise records for single-season assists and points by a defenseman.

He was selected for his seventh NHL All-Star Game appearance and was named one of the NHL's Three Stars of the Week three times throughout the season, including a pair of Second Star nods (weeks ending Feb. 12 and Jan. 1) and one showing as Third Star for the week ending Nov. 7.

Karlsson notched career highs in goals, assists and points, strung a personal and franchise best with a 14-game point streak (two goals and 20 assists) from Dec. 3 through Jan. 6 and recorded the first ever hat trick by a Sharks defenseman, Nov. 1 against the Anaheim Ducks. He had five four-point games, four three-point efforts and finished the year with 30 multi-point contests, went the full season without being held without a point in three consecutive games, factored into four of five Sharks overtime goals and was named the Sharks' Player of the Year by members of the Bay Area media.