Anze Kopitar Bio
Anze Kopitar (born 24 August 1987) is a Slovenian former professional ice hockey player who spent his entire 20-season NHL career as a centre with the Los Angeles Kings. Selected 11th overall by the Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, he became the first Slovenian to play in the NHL when he debuted in 2006. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Kopitar served as the Kings’ captain from 2016 and finished his career as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists and points.
Early Life and Background
Anze Kopitar was born on 24 August 1987 in Jesenice, a town in the Socialist Republic of Slovenia that was then part of Yugoslavia, to parents Matjaz and Mateja Kopitar. His father Matjaz was a professional ice hockey player for HK Acroni Jesenice, winning three league titles, and also represented the Yugoslav and Slovenian national teams. His mother Mateja worked at the family restaurant in Hrusica, a village about five kilometres from Jesenice.
When Kopitar was four years old, his father first put him on skates and even built a small ice rink in their backyard in Hrusica, where the young Kopitar would practise whenever he could. He grew up alongside his younger brother Gasper, who is five years his junior and also became a professional ice hockey player. Kopitar’s grandmother, who taught English at a local high school, helped both brothers learn the language, and Kopitar eventually became fluent in five languages: Slovenian, Serbian, German, Swedish, and English.
Path to Hockey
Kopitar began his competitive hockey journey in 2002 with the youth setup of his hometown club, HK Acroni Jesenice, splitting time between the under-18 and junior teams while also appearing in 11 games for the senior side, HK Kranjska Gora, in the Slovenian Ice Hockey League. That season he led the Slovenian senior league in scoring at just 16 years of age, attracting the attention of Swedish scout Lars Soder, who had first noticed Kopitar at the 2001 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Vuokatti, Finland, when the player was 13.
Recognising that the Slovenian league lacked the competition he needed to grow, Kopitar accepted an offer to move to Sweden in 2004 and joined the SoderTalje SK organisation. He dominated the junior circuit with 49 points in 30 games and was ranked the top European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ahead of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The Los Angeles Kings selected him 11th overall, and after one more season in the Elitserien, Kopitar signed his entry-level contract and made the jump to North America in 2006.
Anze Kopitar Career
Early Career (2002-2006)
Kopitar’s professional career began in his native Slovenia, where he quickly established himself as a teenage prodigy in the Slovenian Ice Hockey League. Even while still playing junior hockey, his production against grown men was remarkable, and his four goals and four assists in 11 senior games hinted at the offensive talent that would soon emerge on a bigger stage.
His move to Sweden at age 16 accelerated that development. After a stellar first season in the SoderTalje junior system, Kopitar earned the top European ranking and became a first-round NHL Draft pick, only choosing to remain in Sweden for one more year to face professional competition in the Elitserien rather than major junior players in the Canadian Hockey League.
NHL Breakthrough (2006-2010)
Kopitar wasted no time announcing himself in the NHL, scoring two goals on debut against the Anaheim Ducks on 6 October 2006 and finishing his rookie campaign with 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points. He placed fourth in Calder Memorial Trophy voting and won the Mark Bavis Memorial Award as the Kings’ top first-year player, while also being voted the team’s Most Popular Player.
By his second season, Kopitar had become the youngest player at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game and led the Kings in assists and points with 77 points overall. In October 2008 he signed a seven-year, $47.6 million contract extension, and in 2009-10 he set career highs of 34 goals and 81 points while helping the Kings return to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. During that run he made his Stanley Cup playoff debut and recorded his first career playoff goal against goaltender Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks.
Stanley Cup Era (2010-2014)
The 2011-12 season marked the arrival of the Kings as a true contender, with Kopitar leading the team in scoring for a sixth straight year and pacing the club with a career-best 51 assists. Los Angeles marched through the 2012 playoffs by defeating the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks, sweeping the St. Louis Blues, beating the Phoenix Coyotes in the conference finals, and then toppling the New Jersey Devils in six games to claim the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. Kopitar tied teammate Dustin Brown for the team playoff scoring lead with 20 points and became the first Slovenian-born player to win the Cup, earning 2012 Slovenian Male Athlete of the Year honours.
Two years later, Kopitar again led the Kings to the Stanley Cup, this time pacing the entire NHL in playoff scoring with 26 points in 26 games as Los Angeles rallied from 3-0 down against the San Jose Sharks, came back from 3-2 against the Anaheim Ducks, ousted the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks, and then defeated the New York Rangers in five games to capture the 2014 championship.
Captaincy and Continued Excellence (2014-2020)
In June 2016, Kopitar was named the 12th captain in Los Angeles Kings history, replacing Dustin Brown. That same season he won both the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship, becoming the first Kings player ever to claim either award. He repeated as Selke winner in 2017-18, when he also posted a career-high 92 points and was a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist for the first time.
Along the way Kopitar reached major career milestones, scoring his 300th NHL goal on 5 January 2019 and playing his 1,000th NHL game on 1 April 2019, cementing his place among the league’s most durable and productive two-way centres.
Later Career and Franchise Records (2020-2026)
On 5 May 2021, Kopitar recorded his 1,000th career point, becoming the 91st player in NHL history to reach the mark. Two years later he won his second Lady Byng Trophy, and in 2023-24 he passed Marcel Dionne as the all-time assists leader in Kings history and tallied his 1,200th NHL point. On 18 September 2025, Kopitar announced that the 2025-26 season would be his last, and during that farewell campaign he became the 25th player in league history to play 1,500 regular season games. On 14 March 2026, he scored twice to surpass Dionne as the Kings’ all-time career points leader, finishing with 38 points in 67 games before playing his final NHL game on 26 April 2026 to a standing ovation in Los Angeles.
Driving Style and Strengths
Not Available
Notable Events and Milestones
Kopitar’s career is studded with signature moments: his two-goal NHL debut in 2006, his first Stanley Cup triumph in 2012 as the first Slovenian champion, his Conn Smythe-worthy 26-point playoff run in 2014, his record-setting ironman streak of 330 consecutive games, his 1,000th career point in 2021, and his passing of Marcel Dionne as the Kings’ all-time points leader in 2026.
Anze Kopitar Career Wins
Across two decades with the Los Angeles Kings, Anze Kopitar established himself as one of the most decorated players in franchise history, winning two Stanley Cup championships, two Frank J. Selke Trophies, three Lady Byng Memorial Trophies, and a Mark Messier Leadership Award while also leading the team in scoring a record 14 times.
Stanley Cup Highlights
Kopitar’s first Stanley Cup came in 2012, when he tied Dustin Brown for the Kings’ playoff scoring lead with 20 points as Los Angeles captured the first championship in franchise history. Two years later, in 2014, he topped the entire NHL in playoff scoring with 26 points in 26 games en route to the Kings’ second Cup in three seasons.
Individual Awards & Performances
Kopitar won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2016 and 2018, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2016, 2023 and 2025, the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2022, and was a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist in 2018 and a Selke finalist in 2014 and 2015. He also led the Kings in scoring 14 times in his career and set a franchise record by leading the team in points for nine consecutive seasons from 2007-08 through 2015-16.
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Anze Kopitar Family
Family Background and Hockey Lineage
Anze Kopitar was raised in Hrusica, a small village near Jesenice, by his father Matjaz, a former professional ice hockey player and later coach of both HK Acroni Jesenice and the Slovenian national team, and his mother Mateja, who worked at the family’s restaurant. His younger brother Gasper also became a professional ice hockey player, playing junior hockey in North America before turning pro with Mora IK in Sweden, continuing the family’s deep roots in the sport.
Personal Life
Kopitar met Ines Dominc in Slovenia in 2005, and the two married in July 2013. Their first child, a daughter named Neza, was born on 14 March 2015, and their second child, a son named Jakob, was born on 5 October 2016. After his first NHL season, Kopitar’s parents and brother joined him in Los Angeles, and in 2014 he bought a home in Manhattan Beach, where the family has lived since.
2025 Season Performance
The 2024-25 NHL season was another productive year for Anze Kopitar, who recorded 21 goals and 46 assists for 67 points in 81 regular season games while taking only two minor penalties all year. His disciplined play and veteran leadership helped keep the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference playoff race, although the team was once again eliminated in the opening round of the 2025 playoffs, this time falling in six games to the Edmonton Oilers.
Kopitar was a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for the fourth time in his career and, on 12 June 2025, was announced as the winner of the award, his third Lady Byng overall. The honour capped a season that also saw him reach another major milestone on 30 October 2024, when he recorded his 800th career assist in a win over the Vegas Golden Knights to become the 35th player in league history to hit the mark.
