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If Josi is indeed a diamond, he’s been stuck in the rough for most of his career. Part of it has to do with the team he is on. Like former Predators captain Shea Weber, who has yet to win the Norris Trophy, Josi has largely flown under the radar while playing in a non-traditional hockey market that has not had playoff success.

The other part has to do with Josi. He’s not flashy. He doesn’t score highlight-reel goals like Karlsson and when he does score, he doesn’t celebrate like Subban. He’s reserved, both on and off the ice. When he was asked the other day about playing in a city where hockey takes a backseat to football and country music, Josi made it seem like he was the one of the lucky ones.

“In Nashville, you don’t get that much attention, so you’re always flying under the radar, which is a good thing,” said Josi, who was fourth amongst defencemen with 61 points last season. “We don’t get on national TV much. It’s been like that since I got to the NHL, so I’m comfortable with that.”

That could be changing at the World Cup, where Team Europe has unexpectedly grabbed the spotlight by reaching the final against Canada. Like it or not, all eyes will be on Josi, who has quietly been one of the tournament’s best defencemen.

On a team with an aging defence — Zdeno Chara is 39 years old and Streit is 38 —the 26-year-old Josi has been leaned on for big minutes. He was a big reason why Patrick Kane and others could not generate any offence in a shocking 3-0 shutout win against the U.S., and then logged 29 minutes in a semi-final win against Sweden, where he started the rush that led to the overtime goal.