ATS
Roman Josi arrived in Prague on Wednesday afternoon and trained for the first time with the Swiss team on Thursday. He is much more than an asset.
After training, Roman Josi arrived in a good mood in the mixed zone, where journalists can speak with the players. He was already a little out of breath, he said, because he had only taken off from Nashville on Tuesday evening local time, and had previously set foot on the ice for the last time on Friday evening when he was eliminated. with the Predators by the Vancouver Canucks in the round of 16 of the NHL play-offs.
Despite a legitimate disappointment, Roman Josi says he is satisfied with his season in North America. “At the beginning we were inconsistent, but we found the path to success,” emphasizes the Bernese, who not only had many new teammates, but also a new coach (Andrew Brunette) and a new general manager (Barry Trotz ).
“Cool to reinvent my game”
No. 59 of the Predators also needed time to adapt due to the Predators’ new offensive game system. He first had to get used to having the puck on his palette for less time, because Brunette demands that defenders pass it to the attackers as quickly as possible.
“It was cool to reinvent my game in a certain way,” says Josi, who succeeded in this change perfectly: in 82 regular season matches, he scored 23 goals and delivered 62 assists to be the third most prolific defender of the League behind Quinn Hughes (92 points) and Cale Makar (90).
As a reward, he is for the third time one of the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, which he won in 2020 and which is awarded to the best defender of the regular season. “It’s obviously a great honor, but what makes me most proud is that we were able to be a team,” said Josi, who was playing his seventh season as captain of the Predators.
Don’t overdo it
Roman Josi of course wants to put his leadership qualities at the service of the Swiss team. But he emphasizes that he will not constantly speak up, that he will remain himself and that he will listen to his instinct. “I will see what needs to be done,” he emphasizes on the eve of starting the World Cup against Norway.
“We have great confidence in ourselves, but we know it won’t be easy. It is important to get a good start in the tournament,” he explains. “I feel like we have a very good mix,” he adds, describing a group that includes technical and fast players, but also “warriors”.
Josi, who is participating in a world championship for the first time since 2019, shares his room with Nino Niederreiter, with whom he has been friends for a long time. “He snored a little last night, but it’s cool with him,” he smiles about the Grison who, like him and Reto Berra, was part of the silver medal winning team at the World Cup in 2013 and in 2018.
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