Rangers' Adam Fox Wins 2020-21 Norris Trophy over Cale Makar, Victor Hedman

New York Rangers blueliner Adam Fox has won the 2020-21 James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.

The 23-year-old beat out some stiff competition for the honor, getting chosen over Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman, who won the Norris in 2018.

In just his second NHL season, Fox quickly established himself as a premier player at both ends of the ice.

In 55 regular-season games, he registered five goals and 42 assists for 47 points. He also posted a plus-19 rating and averaged 24:42 of ice time per game.

Among defensemen, Fox ranked first in assists, second in points behind only Edmonton Oilers defenseman Tyson Barrie's 48 and 11th in average time on ice.

Fox was also a star on the power play, finishing with 23 power-play points, which was tied with Barrie for second among defensemen, just one behind Hedman's 24.

Fox was a third-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 2016, but his rights were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018. Carolina then flipped his rights to the Rangers in 2019 for a second-round pick.

The former Harvard standout quickly established himself as the Rangers' top defenseman, racking up 42 points and a plus-22 rating during his rookie campaign in 2019-20.

Fox finished fourth in the Calder Trophy voting as rookie of the year behind a pair of defensemen in Makar and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks as well as Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik.

Just one year later, the Jericho, New York, native overtook both Makar and Hughes, and he was recognized as the top defenseman in the NHL.

Fox is the youngest Norris winner since then-Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban won it at the age of 23 in 2013, and he is the first Rangers player to receive the honor since Brian Leetch in 1997.