Background and career
Anže Kopitar (pronounced [anˈʒɛ kɔˈpiːtaɾ], born 24 August 1987) is a Slovenian former professional ice hockey player. Kopitar played as a centre and spent his entire 20-season NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). The 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft, Kopitar became the first Slovenian to play in the NHL upon making his debut in 2006. Kopitar led the Kings team in scoring in all but four seasons and is first in franchise history in points, third in goals, and first in assists. He scored his 1,000th career point in 2021. Following the 2015–16 season, he was named the Kings' captain. Noted for both his offensive and defensive play, Kopitar was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016 and 2018 while also being a finalist in 2014 and 2015, as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play in 2016, 2023 and 2025 while also being a finalist in 2015 and 2026. He was also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2018. Kopitar played junior hockey for his hometown team HK Acroni Jesenice before moving to Sweden at age 16 to play in a more competitive league. He spent one season with the junior teams of the Södertälje SK organization, and then with the senior team of the top-level Elitserien. He moved to North America to join the Kings in 2006, one year after he was drafted, and finished fourth in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting for the league's top rookie. Kopitar's offensive talent was immediately apparent while his defensive style developed in later seasons and he has become recognized for his two-way play. Praised as one of the best players in the NHL, Kopitar won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, leading the playoffs in points on both occasions (tied with teammate Dustin Brown in 2012). Internationally, Kopitar represented the Slovenian national team in several junior and senior tournaments, as well as at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He also played for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
In 2002, Kopitar began playing for the youth team of his hometown, HK Acroni Jesenice. He split the year between the team's under-18 and junior clubs, and also appeared in 11 games for the senior team HK Kranjska Gora of the Slovenian Ice Hockey League. Kopitar had four goals and four assists in the senior league, and recorded 76 points in 14 games for the Jesenice under-18 team and 27 points in 20 games for the junior club. He led the Slovenian Ice Hockey League in scoring at the age of 16, and Swedish scout Lars Söder recruited Kopitar for the Elitserien in 2004 (Söder had originally discovered Kopitar when he was 13 at the 2001 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Vuokatti, Finland). The Slovenian Ice Hockey League did not have a high enough skill level, so Kopitar decided that if he wanted to improve his career prospects, he would have to leave the country. He was offered a chance to play in Sweden for Södertälje SK, eventually joining their junior team where he led the League in scoring, with 49 points (28 goals, 21 assists) in 30 games. At 17, prior to the 2005 NHL entry draft, Kopitar was ranked the top European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. After his first season in Sweden, he was chosen 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2005 Draft. Unlike most top-ranked prospects, Kopitar was not at the draft, but in Sweden playing in preseason games. Some members of the team had a party for the draft, including Niclas Bergfors, who was selected 23rd overall by the New Jersey Devils. Prior to the NHL Draft, Kopitar was also selected in the CHL Import Draft by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). At 18 years of age, he declined to move to North America, however, hoping to further his development by continuing to play against professionals in the Elitserien, rather than against major junior players in the WHL.
Kopitar signed an entry-level contract with the Kings on 7 September 2005, but returned to play in Sweden for another season. The next year, 2006, he accepted an invitation to Los Angeles' rookie camp.
Kopitar made his NHL debut on 6 October 2006, against the Anaheim Ducks, scoring two goals in the game. In January 2007, he was named to the NHL YoungStars Game, an event included at the All-Star Game festivities; Kopitar recorded two goals and three assists. Kopitar completed his first NHL season third among rookies in scoring, behind Evgeni Malkin and Paul Šťastný, with 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points. It marked the fifth-highest point total by a Kings rookie, and the highest since Luc Robitaille in 1986–87. He finished fourth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. Kopitar was awarded the Mark Bavis Memorial Award as the best first-year member of the Kings and was also named the Kings' Most Popular Player.
The following season, Kopitar was selected to represent the Western Conference at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, his first All-Star game appearance. He was the youngest player in the game, nearly two years younger than the second-youngest player, Paul Stastny (Sidney Crosby was younger, but had to withdraw prior to the game due to injury). Kopitar finished the regular season with 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points; he led the Kings in assists and points and was second in goals. Kopitar won the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the most valuable player on the Kings. Early in the 2008–09 season, on 11 October 2008, Kopitar signed a seven-year contract extension with the Kings worth $47.6 million. The contract would keep Kopitar with the team until the conclusion of the 2015–16 season. He finished the season with 27 goals and 39 assists for 66 points in all 82 games, leading the Kings in both assists and points, while again finishing second in goals scored. The following season, Kopitar scored his first career NHL hat-trick (three goals in one game) on 22 October 2009 against the Dallas Stars. He finished the 2009–10 season with a career-high 34 goals, 47 assists and 81 points in all 82 contests played. For the second time in his career, Kopitar won the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the Kings' most valuable player, and led the team in scoring for the third-straight year. as the Kings qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2002 having finished the season as the sixth seed in the West. Kopitar made his Stanley Cup playoff debut on 15 April 2010, in the first game of the opening round against the third-seeded Vancouver Canucks where the Kings lost the game 3–2 and recorded his first career playoff assist and point on a goal by Jarret Stoll. Two days later in game two of the series, Kopitar recorded his first career playoff goal against Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo as the Kings would go on to win the game 3–2 to even the series at 1–1. The Kings would go on to lose in the Western Conference quarterfinals in six games to the Canucks and Kopitar finished tied for third on the team with five points in six games.
The 2010–11 season saw Kopitar play in his 325th consecutive NHL game, which set a new Kings team record, passing Marcel Dionne on 15 March 2011. However eleven days later, on 26 March, Kopitar's season and ironman streak came to an abrupt end at 330 games after he suffered a broken ankle in a 4–1 win game against the Colorado Avalanche as a result from a collision with Avalanche defenceman Ryan O'Byrne. Despite the late-season injury setback and missing the final seven regular season games and the playoffs, Kopitar led the team in scoring for the fourth straight season with 73 points (25 goals, 48 assists), and was named the team's most valuable player for the second time while the Kings as a team finished the season as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. In Kopitar's absence, the Kings would go on to lose in the opening round of the 2011 playoffs in six games to the second-seeded San Jose Sharks. In the 2011–12 season, Kopitar led the Kings in scoring with 76 points, (25 goals and a career-best 51 assists) in all 82 games played. After defeating the back-to-back Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in five games in the conference quarterfinals along with a conference semifinals sweep to the second-seeded St. Louis Blues and a five-game victory over the third-seeded Phoenix Coyotes in the conference finals of the 2012 playoffs, the Kings won the Stanley Cup as the playoff champions, by defeating the sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils in six games in the Stanley Cup Final for their first title in team history. Kopitar finished tied with Kings captain Dustin Brown to lead the team in playoff scoring, with each having 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) from all 20 games played. Kopitar became the first Slovenian-born player to win the Stanley Cup. In recognition of this, Kopitar was named as the 2012 Slovenian male Athlete of the Year.
