Anže Kopitar

Did You Know?

• Kopitar played in the 2000 and 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a team from Slovenia.
• He hosts an annual charity golf tournament that benefits various groups, mainly youths.

Playing career

Kopitar began playing for the youth team of HK Acroni Jesenice in 2002, splitting time between the under-18 and junior clubs while also appearing in 11 senior games for HK Kranjska Gora. He led the Slovenian Ice Hockey League in scoring at age 16. Swedish scout Lars Söder, who had discovered Kopitar at the 2001 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, recruited him for the Elitserien in 2004. Seeking a higher skill level, Kopitar joined Södertälje SK's junior team in Sweden, where he led the league in scoring with 49 points in 30 games.

Prior to the 2005 NHL entry draft, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked him the top European skater. The Los Angeles Kings selected him 11th overall in the 2005 draft, though Kopitar was not present at the draft, instead playing preseason games in Sweden. He was also chosen in the CHL Import Draft by the Regina Pats but declined to move to North America, preferring to continue playing against professionals in the Elitserien. Kopitar signed an entry-level contract with the Kings on 7 September 2005 but returned to Sweden for another season before attending Los Angeles' rookie camp in 2006.

International play

Kopitar first played internationally at the Division I tournament of the 2003 World U18 Championships, recording three points in five games. He appeared in the 2004 World U18 Championships and the 2004 World Junior Championships, both at Division I; at the under-18 tournament he scored six goals and eight points in five games, finishing second overall in goals and third in points while leading Slovenia in both categories. In 2005 he played in three tournaments: the World U18 Championship, World Juniors, and the senior World Championship, his first with the Slovenian national team.

At the 2006 World Championship he recorded three goals and nine points in six games, tying for fifth among scoring leaders. Back in the top division for the 2008 World Championship, he had four points in five games, though Slovenia was again relegated. Slovenia qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; Kopitar helped the team reach the quarterfinals with two goals and one assist. He was also named to play for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Personal life

Anže Kopitar came into the world in Jesenice, Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia, to Matjaž and Mateja Kopitar. His dad, a three-time league champion with HK Acroni Jesenice, later coached Slovenia’s national team. His mom worked at the family restaurant in nearby Hrušica. At age four, Kopitar learned to skate on a backyard rink his father built.

He has a younger brother, Gašper, who also plays hockey. Their grandmother, a high school English teacher, taught both boys the language; Kopitar now speaks five: Slovenian, Serbian, German, Swedish, and English. A soccer fan, he supports NK Maribor. Kopitar met Ines Dominc in Slovenia in 2005, marrying her in July 2013.

Their daughter Neža arrived on 14 March 2015, and son Jakob on 5 October 2016. He lived with his parents until moving alone to Sweden. After his first NHL season, his family joined him in Los Angeles, and he bought a Manhattan Beach home in 2014.