Here’s the latest I can share based on recent public updates.
Core answer
- As of 2025, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche won the 2024-25 James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman. He captured the award with a dominant voting result and became a multiple-time Norris winner.[1][5][6]
Context and recent winners
- The Norris Trophy is awarded annually to the defenseman deemed to have the greatest all-around ability in the position, with voting by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at season’s end.[5][6]
- Notable recent winners leading up to 2025 include Quinn Hughes (2023-24), Erik Karlsson (2022-23), and Cale Makar (2021-22, 2024-25).[6][5]
Key sources
- NHL recap announcing Makar as 2024-25 Norris winner, including voting details and historical context.[1]
- NHL list of Norris winners with 2024-25 entry for Makar and the official record page.[3][6]
- Add’l coverage from The Hockey News noting Josi and other finalists in recent years and the award’s finalists pattern.[2]
If you’d like, I can pull a concise table of recent Norris winners (year, player, team) and create a quick chart showing repeat winners vs. first-time winners. I can also summarize how the voting process works and who typically votes.
Sources
The James Norris Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top "defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". The James Norris Memorial Trophy has been awarded 52 times to 21 different players since its beginnings in 1954. At the end of each season, members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote to determine the player who was the best defenseman during the regular season. The trophy is named...
icehockey.fandom.comAward for best defenseman first presented in 1954
www.nhl.comAward for best defenseman first presented in 1954
www.nhl.comPredators captain is now a three-time finalist for award given annually to the NHL's top defenseman.
thehockeynews.com26-Year-Old Captures Award For Second Time In Four Seasons
www.nhl.comThe seven-decade history of the NHL's defenseman of the year award features a 25-year-old female Detroit team president and her 'all-time great' Canadian dad
www.nhl.comHughes secured an impressive victory with 172 first-place votes out of 194 voters, garnering a total of 1,864 voting points. Following him, Josi of Nashville Predators the 201-20 Norris Trophy winner, secured the second spot with 1,207 points, andale Makar the Colorado Avalanche the 202-22 recipient, claimed third place with 893 points.
records.nhl.com