Born	August 24, 1987 (1987-08-24) (age 22), Jesenice, Yugoslavia
Height Weight	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Los Angeles Kings
Ntl. team	Slovenia
NHL Draft	11th overall, 2005 Los Angeles Kings
Pro career	2004 – present

Anžè Kopitar (born August 24, 1987) is a Slovenian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the 11th overall draft pick by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Kopitar is the first Slovenian player to appear in the NHL.^[1]

[edit] Early life

Kopitar was born in Jesenice, Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia. His family lived in the village of Hrušica.^{[citation needed]} Kopitar began skating at the age of four and grew up with a backyard hockey rink that his father constructed.^[2] His father, Matjaž, played for Acroni Jesenice in the Yugoslavian League, and competed in three World Championships (in the B and C pools) for Yugolsavia in the early 1990s.^[2] He has also coached Slovenian champions HK Acroni Jesenice of the Austrian Hockey League.^{[citation needed]} Kopitar's brother, Gaspar, is also a hockey player.^[2]

[edit] Playing career

[edit] European career and juniors

Kopitar developed his skills in Slovenia's senior and junior leagues. Leading the Slovenain Hockey League in scoring at the age of 16, Swedish scout Lars Soder recruited Kopitar for the Elitserien in 2004 (Soder had originally discovered Kopitar when he was 13 at a Youth Olympics tournament).^[2] Kopitar subsequently moved to Sweden to play for Södertälje SK. After his first season in Sweden, he was chosen 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Upon being drafted, he was invited to the Kings' rookie camp, but chose to remain in Sweden with Södertälje SK. Kopitar was given another opportunity to play in North America when the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League extended him an invitation. He declined, hoping to further his development by continuing to play against professionals in the Elitserien, rather than the juniors in the WHL.^[3]

[edit] Los Angeles Kings

In 2006, he accepted an invitation to the Los Angeles Kings' rookie camp. Anže Kopitar became the first Slovenian hockey player to play in the NHL when he made his career debut on October 6, 2006 at the Honda Center against the Anaheim Ducks. He scored two goals as the Kings lost 4-3.^[4] In his home debut at the Staples Center the following night, he had three assists in a 4-1 Kings victory against the St. Louis Blues.^[5] Kopitar completed his first NHL season third among rookies in scoring behind Evgeni Malkin and Paul Stastny.

The following season, Kopitar was selected to represent the Western Conference at the 56th NHL All-Star Game, his first appearance.^[6] He improved to 77 points to complete the 2007–08 season, first in team scoring.^[7]

On October 11, 2008, Kopitar signed a seven-year, $47.6 million contract extension with the Kings.^[8]

Anže notched his first career hat trick on October 22, 2009 against the Dallas Stars at the Staples Center. He helped lead the Kings to a 5-4 overtime win.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Anže Kopitar's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Anže Kopitar – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• Anže Kopitar's NHL player profile