Anže Kopitar
| Anže Kopitar | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | August 24, 1987 Jesenice, Slovenia, Yugoslavia |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 222 lb (101 kg; 15 st 12 lb) |
| Position | Center/Left Wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team Former teams |
Los Angeles Kings Södertälje Sportklubb (SEL) |
| National team |  Slovenia |
| NHL Draft | 11th overall, 2005 Los Angeles Kings |
| Playing career | 2004–present |
| Website | http://www.anzeseleven.com |
Anže Kopitar[1] (born August 24, 1987) is a Slovene professional ice hockey player and alternate captain of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).[2] The first Slovenian to play in the NHL, Kopitar played junior hockey for his hometown team HK Acroni Jesenice and led his native country before he moved to Sweden at age 16 to play in a better league. He spent one season with the junior teams of the Södertälje SK organization, and played a few games with the senior team of the top-level Elitserien. The highest ranked European skater in the 2005 NHL Draft, Kopitar was selected 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings.[2] He moved to North America in 2006 and joined the Kings, where he finished third in scoring among NHL rookies. In 2008, his third season with the Kings, Kopitar signed a seven year contract extension with the team, which would keep him with the team until 2016. One of the top scoring players in the NHL, Kopitar has led the Kings in scoring for four seasons, all consecutive, and finished in the top five in each season, and has been selected to the NHL All-Star Game twice. Internationally, Kopitar has played for the Slovenian national team in several junior and senior tournaments.
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[edit] Personal life
Kopitar was born in Jesenice, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia) to Matjaž and Mateja Kopitar.[3] Matjaž played hockey for HK Acroni Jesenice in the Yugoslav and later Slovenian championship in the 1980s and 1990s, and competed in three World Championships (in the B and C pools; lower levels) for both Yugoslavia and Slovenia in the early 1990s. He also coached HK Acroni Jesenice of the Austrian Hockey League in the 2006–07 season[4] and is the current head coach of the Slovenia national ice hockey team.[5] Mateja worked at the family restaurant, Gostišče Kopitar, in nearby Hrušica.[6]
When Kopitar was four, his father first taught him how to skate; Matjaž built an ice rink in their backyard, and Kopitar would go out there whenever he could.[7] Kopitar has a brother, Gašper, who is five years younger. Gašper also plays hockey; when the family moved to Los Angeles he joined a junior team sponsored by the Kings. He then played for the Portland Winterhawks of the major junior Western Hockey League and the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League.[8] Kopitar's grandmother taught English at a local high school, and both Kopitar and his brother learned to speak English from her.[8] Kopitar speaks five languages: Slovene, Serbian, German, Swedish, and English.[3] Until he moved to Sweden, Kopitar lived with his parents. While in Sweden he lived alone in an apartment.[7] After his first season in the NHL, the rest of Kopitar's family joined him in Los Angeles. They first lived in a house in Hermosa Beach, then moved to Manhattan Beach.[8]
Besides ice hockey he also enjoys playing football and is a declared supporter of Slovenian football club Maribor.[9][10]
[edit] Playing career
[edit] European career
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 club's, and also appeared in 11 games for the senior team HK Kranjska Gora of the Slovenian Hockey League. Kopitar had 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points 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 Hockey League in scoring at the age of 16, and Swedish scout Lars Soder recruited Kopitar for the Elitserien in 2004 (Soder had originally discovered Kopitar when he was 13 at a European Youth Olympic Festival).[11]
The Slovenian hockey leagues did not have a high skill level, so Kopitar decided that if he wanted to improve his hockey career he would have to leave the country.[7] He was offered a chance to play in Sweden for Södertälje SK. He played for their junior team and led the league in scoring with 49 points (28 goals, 21 assists) in 30 games. Prior to the 2005 NHL Entry Draft Kopitar was ranked the top European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[12] After his first season in Sweden, he was chosen 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry 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.[6] Prior to the NHL Draft, Kopitar was also selected in the CHL Import Draft by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.[13] He declined to move to North America, hoping to further his development by continuing to play against professionals in the Elitserien, rather than the juniors in the WHL.[14]
[edit] Los Angeles Kings
Kopitar signed an entry-level contract with the Kings on September 7, 2005, but went back and played in Sweden for another season.[15] In 2006, he accepted an invitation to the Los Angeles Kings' rookie camp. Kopitar made his NHL debut October 6, 2006, against the Anaheim Ducks and scored two goals in the game.[14] In January 2007 he was named to the NHL YoungStars Game, an event of the NHL All-Star Game; Kopitar recorded two goals and three assists.[16] Kopitar completed his first NHL season third among rookies in scoring behind Evgeni Malkin and Paul Stastny, 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.[16] He finished fourth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.[17] Kopitar was awarded the Mark Bavis Memorial Award as the best first-year member of the Kings and named the King's Most Popular Player.[18]
The following season, Kopitar was selected to represent the Western Conference at the 56th NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, his first appearance in the game. He was the youngest player in the game, nearly two years younger than Paul Stastny.[16] He finished the season with 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points. Kopitar led the Kings in assists and points and was second in goals.[19] He was named the winner of the Bill Libby Memorial Award as the most valuable player on the Kings; he also received an award for leading the team in scoring.[18]
On October 11, 2008, Kopitar signed a seven-year, $47.6 million contract extension with the Kings that would last until 2016.[20]
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.[21]
He won the Bill Libby Memorial Award for a second time in 2010 as he was named the most valuable player on the Kings, as he led the team in scoring for the third time.[19]
On March 15, 2011, Kopitar played his 325th consecutive NHL game and set a new record for the Kings, passing Marcel Dionne.[22] Eleven days later, however, Kopitar's season and ironman streak came to an abrupt end at 330 games with a broken ankle.[23] Even so, Kopitar led the team in scoring for the fourth straight season, amassing a 73-point campaign prior to his injury.
[edit] International play
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Kopitar first played in an international tournament when he participated in the Division I (second level) tournament of the 2003 IIHF World U18 Championships for the Slovenian national junior team. He appeared in five games and recorded three points.[24] The following year he appeared in the 2004 tournament and the 2004 World Junior Championships. Slovenia appeared in the Division I level at both tournaments. Kopitar scored 6 goals and 8 points in 5 games during the under-18 tournament and finished second overall for goals scored and third for points, leading Slovenia in both categores;[25][26] he had one goal and one assist in five games at the World Juniors.[27]
In 2005 Kopitar appeared in three international tournaments for Slovenia; he took part in the World Juniors, U18 Championship and the World Championship. Both junior tournaments were at the Division I level, while the senior championship was at the top level. At the 2006 World Championship he played for Slovenia at the top level and recorded 3 goals and 9 points in 6 games and was tied 5th among scoring leaders.[28]
[edit] Career statistics
[edit] Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | HK Acroni Jesenice U18 | Slov-U18 | 14 | 38 | 38 | 76 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | HK Acroni Jesenice Jr | Slov-Jr | 20 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | HK Kranjska Gora | Slov | 11 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | HK Acroni Jesenice Jr. | Slov-Jr | 25 | 32 | 28 | 60 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | HK Kranjska Gora | Slov | 21 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Södertälje SK U18 | Swe-U18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 | Södertälje SK | J20 | 30 | 28 | 21 | 49 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Södertälje SK | SEL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Södertälje SK | SEL | 47 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Södertälje SK | Swe-Q | 10 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 72 | 20 | 41 | 61 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 82 | 32 | 45 | 77 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 82 | 27 | 39 | 66 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 82 | 34 | 47 | 81 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 75 | 25 | 48 | 73 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Elitserien totals | 52 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 28 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| NHL totals | 393 | 138 | 220 | 358 | 114 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||||
[edit] International
| Year | Team | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Slovenia | U18 (Div I) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Slovenia | WJC (Div I) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Slovenia | U18 (Div I) | 5 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2005 | Slovenia | WJC (Div I) | 5 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 6 | |
| 2005 | Slovenia | U18 (Div I) | 5 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 14 | |
| 2005 | Slovenia | WC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Slovenia | WJC (Div I) | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2006 | Slovenia | WC | 6 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2007 | Slovenia | WC (Div I) | 5 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2008 | Slovenia | WC | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 30 | 30 | 13 | 43 | 24 | |||
| Senior totals | 22 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 8 | |||
[edit] All-Star Games
| Year | Location | G | A | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Atlanta | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011 | Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| All-Star Game totals | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
[edit] Awards and honours
[edit] Los Angeles Kings team awards
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Bill Libby Memorial Award | 2008, 2010, 2011 |
| Leading Scorer Award | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Mark Bavis Memorial Award | 2007 |
| Most Popular Player | 2007, 2011 |
| Best Defensive Player | 2011 |
[edit] References
- ^ Slovenia Times
- ^ a b Los Angeles Kings Communications Department (2010). Los Angeles Kings 2010-11 Media Guide. Los Angeles Kings. p. 44.
- ^ a b Dater, Adrian (2011-01-06). "Anze Kopitar of Los Angeles Kings has eyes on Stanley Cup". SportsIllustrated.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/adrian_dater/01/06/anze.kopitar/. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- ^ Cvetanovič, Drago (2010-04-16). "Jeseniški trenerji skozi čas" (in Slovenian). HKJesenice.si. http://www.hkjesenice.si/index.php?subpageid=56&contid=137. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
- ^ RTOSlo (2010-12-12). "Harrington odhaja, Kopitar prihaja" (in Slovenian). RTVSlo.si. http://www.rtvslo.si/sport/hokej/harrington-odhaja-kopitar-prihaja/246135. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ^ a b Morreale, Mike G. (2009-10-26). "Kopitar's NHL stardom years in the making". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=503571. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
- ^ a b c Kopitar, Anže (2010-12-28). "My Story: Anze Kopitar". LAKings.com. http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=547547. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
- ^ a b c Des Moines Register (2011-01-14). "Buccaneer Kopitar dreams of an NHL career". Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa). http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110114/SPORTS1403/101150314/-1/ENT05/Buccaneer-Kopitar-dreams-of-an-NHL-career. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- ^ "MMC Pogovor: Anže Kopitar" (in Slovene). RTVSLO.si. 2007-05-08. http://www.rtvslo.si/modload.php?&c_mod=rtvchat&op=chat&func=read&c_id=597. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ^ "Kopitar Pic" (in Slovene). VEČER.com. http://ris.vecer.com/RISStorage1/links/01/51/71/83/01517183-300.jpg. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ^ Podnieks, Andrew (2009-11-17). "NHL top scorer not in Vancouver". IIHF.com. http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/article/nhl-top-scorer-not-in-vancouver.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=955&cHash=d4488c5d2a. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
- ^ NHL (2005-07-22). "2005 Entry Draft Rankings". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26400. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- ^ WHL (2005-06-30). "2005 CHL Import Draft Summary". WHL.ca. http://www.whl.ca/article/whl-2005-import-draft-summary/73960. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
- ^ a b Arritt, Dan (2009-10-11). "Kings' Anze Kopitar Grew Up Fast". Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles). http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-kings11-2008oct11,0,2328440.story. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- ^ Los Angeles Kings (2005-09-07). "Kings Agree to Terms with Anze Kopitar". LosAngelesKings.com. http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=455106. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ a b c LaRocca, Thomas (2008-01-26). "From Afar to YoungStars to All-Star". LAKings.com. http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=455631. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
- ^ Morreale, Mike G. (2008-09-26). "Kopitar ready to lead Kings to playoffs". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=383258. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ a b Los Angeles Kings (2010). "Kings Annual Team Awards". LAKings.com. http://kings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?bcid=22166. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ a b Los Angeles Kings (2011-01-11). "Anze Kopitar Named to NHL All-Star Team". LAKings.com. http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=549121. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ TSN (2008-10-11). "Kings sign Kopitar to seven-year extension". TSN.ca. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=252315. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- ^ Canadian Press (2008-10-23). "Handzus scores in overtime, Kopitar has hat trick as Kings edge Stars". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=503179. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- ^ Hammond, Rich (2011-03-14). "Iron Man Anze". LAKings.com. http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=556045. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ Hammond, Rich (2011-03-26). "Kings lose Kopitar to ankle injury". LAKings.com. http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=557324. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ IIHF (2003-03-29). "Slovenia Player Statistics". IIHF.com. http://www.iihf.com/hockey/x/0203/W18IA/0203/scripts/rosters/pg000044.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- ^ IIHF (2006-09-15). "Goal Scoring Leaders". IIHF.com. http://www.iihf.com/Hydra/Tournaments/output/W18IA/hydra.iihf.com/data/iihf/output/xml/25/IHM025Z903_85C_1_0.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ IIHF (2006-09-15). "Scoring Leaders". IIHF.com. http://www.iihf.com/Hydra/Tournaments/output/W18IA/hydra.iihf.com/data/iihf/output/xml/25/IHM025Z903_85C_1_0.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ IIHF (2006-09-13). "Player Statistics by Team". IIHF.com. http://www.iihf.com/Hydra/Tournaments/output/W20IA/hydra.iihf.com/data/iihf/output/xml/1/IHM0010SLO_83_1_0.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
- ^ IIHF (2006-05-21). "2006 Scoring leaders". IIHF.com. http://www.iihf.com/Hydra/Tournaments_06/output/WS/ihm046z17_85b_1_0.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Anže Kopitar's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Anže Kopitar's NHL player profile
- Anže Kopitar's biography at Legends of Hockey
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lauri Tukonen |
Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick 2005 |
Succeeded by Jonathan Bernier |
