Anze Kopitar
Anze Kopitar was born in Hrušica, Jesenice, Slovenia on August 24th, 1987 and is the Hockey Player. At the age of 36, Anze Kopitar biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 36 years old, Anze Kopitar has this physical status:
Ane Kopitar (born 24 August 1987) is a Slovenian professional ice hockey centre serving as captain of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. (NHL).
Kopitar was the first Slovenian to play in the NHL following his selection in 2006 as the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Kopitar has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings and has been a leader in scoring in all but two seasons.
He was voted the Kings' captain in the 2015–16 season.
Kopitar was named Best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016, as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play the same year in both offensive and defensive play.
In 2018, he won his second Selke trophy. Before going to Sweden at age 16 to play in a more competitive league, Kopitar played junior hockey for his hometown team, HK Acroni Jesenice.
He spent one season with the junior teams of the Södertö SK company and then with the top-level Elitserien's senior team.
He moved to North America in 2006, one year after being drafted, and finished second in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting for the league's best rookie.
When Kopitar joined the Kings, his offensive talent was immediately evident, but his defensive skills have improved in later seasons, and he has been praised for his two-way play, being a finalist for the Selke Trophy three times, and twice a Selke Trophy champion.
Kopitar earned the Stanley Cup championship with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, tying with teammate Dustin Brown in 2012).
Kopitar has competed for Slovenia's national team in several junior and senior tournaments, as well as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
At the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, he competed for Team Europe.
Personal life
Kopitar was born in Jesenice, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia) to Matja and Mateja Kopitar. Matja was a member of the Yugoslav and Slovenian national teams, played hockey for HK Acroni Jesenice, winning the league three times. During the 2006–07 season and the Slovenian national team from 2010 to 2015, he also coached Acroni Jesenice of the Austrian Hockey League and the Slovenian national team from 2010 to 2015. Mateja worked at a family restaurant in Hrucic, a village about five kilometers from Jesenice, but not far from Jesenice.
Kopitar was four years old when his dad taught him how to skate; Matjay built an ice rink in their backyard in Hruc; and Kopitar would play there whenever he could; Gapetar, a five-year-old boy, is Kopitar's brother. Gaper also plays hockey; when the Kopitar family relocated to Los Angeles, Gaper joined a youth team sponsored by the Kings. He appeared for the Portland Winterhawks of the major junior Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL), before moving to Mora IK in Sweden. Both Kopitar and his brother learned English at a local high school, and Kopitar's grandmother taught English. Kopitar is a multimedia platform that provides five languages: Slovene, Serbian, German, Swedish, and English. He loves playing soccer and is a vocal promoter of Slovenian soccer team NK Maribor.
Kopitar is well-known in Slovenia for his hockey exploits, with a government-sponsored website announcing that after winning the Stanley Cup in 2012, he was "the most respected Slovenian sportsman" after he was crowned. He competed with a Slovenian team in the 2000 and 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments as a youth. He also hosts an annual charity golf tournament that helps many groups, mainly youths.
Kopitar and his parents survived until he moved to Sweden, where he lived alone in an apartment. The remainder of Kopitar's family joined him in Los Angeles after his first season in the NHL; Kopitar bought a house in Manhattan Beach in 2014. In 2005, Kopitar met Ines Dominc in Slovenia; they married in July 2013. On March 14, 2015, their first child, a daughter named Nea, was born. Jakob, the couple's second child, was born on October 5, 2016.
Playing career
Kopitar first played for his hometown, HK Acroni Jesenice, in 2002. He split the year between the team's under-18 and junior clubs, as well as appearances in 11 games for the Slovenian Ice Hockey League's senior team HK Kranjska Gora. In the senior league, Kopitar had four goals and four assists, totaling 76 points in 14 games for the Jesenice under-18 team and 27 points in 20 games for the junior team. At the age of 16, he led the Slovenian Ice Hockey League in scoring, while Swedish scout Lars Söder recruited Kopitar for the Elitserien in 2004 (Söder first discovered Kopitar 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 develop his career prospects, he would have to leave the country. He was offered the opportunity to play for Sweden for Södertälje SK, later joining their junior team, where he led the league in scoring with 49 goals (28 goals, 21 assists) in 30 games. Kopitar was ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau at 17, prior to the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2005 Draft, he was ranked 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in his first season in Sweden. Kopitar was not at the draft, but in Sweden, where he was playing in preseason games. Niclas Bergfors, a member of the New Jersey Devils, was selected 23rd overall for the draft. Kopitar was also selected in the CHL Import Draft by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League prior to the NHL Draft (WHL). He declined to move to North America at 18 years old, but hoped to improve his growth by playing against professionals in the Elitserien rather than against major junior players in the WHL.
On September 7, 2005, Kopitar signed an entry-level contract with the Kings, but he returned to Sweden for a second season. He accepted an invitation to Los Angeles' rookie camp last year. On October 6, 2006, he made his NHL debut against the Anaheim Ducks, scoring two goals in the game. In January 2007, he was invited to the NHL YoungStars Game, which was part of the All-Star Game festivities; Kopitar scored two goals and three assists. Kopitar finished his second season as a rookie scoring leader, behind Evgeni Malkin and Paul astn, with 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points. It was the fifth-highest point total by a Kings rookie, and the highest since Luc Robitaille in 1986–87. He came in second place in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the year's rookie of the year. Kopitar received the Mark Bavis Memorial Award as the Kings' most outstanding first-year player, as well as the Kings' Most Popular Player award.
Kopitar was selected to represent the Western Conference in Atlanta during the 56th NHL All-Star Game, his first all-star game appearance. He was the youngest player in the game, almost two years younger than second-youngest player, Paul Stastny (Sidney Crosby was younger than the second-youngest player, but he had to cancel prior to the game due to injury). Kopitar had 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points in the regular season; he led the Kings in assists and points and was second in goals. Kopitar received the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the Kings' Most Valuable Player.
Kopitar agreed to a seven-year contract extension with the Kings worth $47.6 million beginning in 2008. Kopitar will continue to be a member of the team until the end of the 2015–16 season. He had 66 points in 82 games, leading the Kings in both assists and points, while finishing second in goals scored. On October 22, 2009 against the Dallas Stars, Kopitar scored his first NHL hat-trick (3 goals in a single game) in his first NHL appearance since being a kid. He finished the 2009–10 season with a career-best 34 goals and 81 points. Kopitar received the Bill Libby Memorial Award for the second time in his career, and the team won the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the Kings' most valuable player, and he led the team in scoring for the third year in a row. For the first time since 2002, Kopitar made his Stanley Cup playoff debut as the Kings qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2002. The Kings lost in the Western Conference Quarterfinals to the Vancouver Canucks, while Kopitar finished third on the team with five points in six games.
Kopitar played in his 325th straight NHL game, a new Kings team record, beating Marcel Dionne on March 15, 2011, set a new Kings team record. However, Kopitar's season and ironman streak came to an abrupt end at 330 games after he sustained a fractured ankle. Despite the injury setback, Kopitar led the team in scoring for the fourth straight season, scoring 73 points, and was named team's Most Valuable Player for the second time.
Kopitar led the Kings in scoring with 76 points in the 2011–12 season, with a career-best 51 assists. The Kings were crowned as playoff champions in the inaugural season of the franchise, their first appearance in team history. With each having 20 points from 20 games played, Kopitar tied for second place in playoff scoring with Kings captain Dustin Brown to lead the team. Kopitar became the first Slovenian-born player to win the Stanley Cup. In recognition of this, Kopitar was named as the year's best male Athlete of the year.
Due to the NHL lockout, Kopitar joined his younger brother Gajper on Mora IK of the Swedish second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan, extending his deal with the team through the 2012-13 season. He appeared in 31 games for Mora, scoring 34 points in the NHL lockout, which was ending in January 2013. To once more lead the Kings in scoring, Kopitar scored 42 points in 47 games, and was named the team's best defensive player.
Kopitar was the team's most valuable player and best defensive player in 2013-2014 for his seventh straight season, scoring for the seventh straight season. For the first time, he was a finalist in the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL. As the Kings won their second Stanley Cup championship, Kopitar led the entire league in scoring, scoring 26 points in 26 games.
Kopitar tied Marcel Dionne as the only player in Kings history to lead the team in scoring eight times in eight games, having scored 16 goals and 48 assists for 64 points. Kopitar reached the finalist for the Selke Trophy once more, as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship. Kopitar signed an eight-year contract extension with the Kings during the 2015–16 season. He will make it through the 2023-23-24 season, earning him an average of $10 million per season. He finished the season with 74 points, a team record for his ninth straight season. Kopitar was also honoured with the Lady Byng and Frank J. Selke Trophies, the first King to win either award. For the fifth time, Bill Libby Memorial Award recipient Jim Benton was named the most valuable player on the Kings for the fifth time.
Kopitar was named the Kings captain on June 16th, replacing Dustin Brown. Kopitar saw his production decline in his first season as the Kings' captain, finishing with 52 points, second second on the team behind Jeff Carter, and snapping his nine-year tenure as leader of the team in scoring. Kopitar returned to form in the 2017-2018 season by scoring a career-high 35 goals and 57 assists for 92 points, assisting the Kings in the return to the playoffs. Kopitar was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy for the second time in his career, and he was named the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the second time in his career.
Kopitar played his 1,000th NHL game on April 1, 2019, against the Calgary Flames, in a game against the Calgary Flames, the following season.
Kopitar earned his 1,000th career point on May 5th, becoming the 91st player to reach the record.
Kopitar scored three goals and two assists against the Vegas Golden Knights on October 14, 2021, a franchise record for most points in a home opening game. However, Kopitar missed the 20-goal mark for the first time since the 2016–17 season (which included the postponed 2020–21 seasons). In the Kings' last home game of the season on April 23, 2022, a 4–2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, he scored his 700th career help in the Kings' final home game of the season.