Anže Kopitar: Biography Update, Age, Net Worth, Family, Career Highlights

Anže Kopitar, born on 24 August 1987, is a retired Slovenian ice hockey player. He played as a centre and spent his entire 20-year NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings. Drafted 11th overall in 2005, Kopitar was the first Slovenian to play in the NHL when he debuted in 2006. He led the Kings in scoring in all but four seasons and holds the franchise records for points and assists, and is third in goals. In 2021, he reached his 1,000th career point.

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After the 2015–16 season, Kopitar became the Kings’ captain. Known for his strong play on both offense and defense, he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward in 2016 and 2018, and was a finalist in 2014 and 2015. He also received the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in 2016, 2023, and 2025, and was a finalist in 2015. In 2018, he was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy.

Profile Summary

Age

Kopitar was born on 24 August 1987 in Jesenice, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia. He is 38 years old.

International play

Kopitar played in his first international tournament in the Championship Division I for the Senior team, scoring three points in five games. In 2004, he took part in both the World U18 Championships and the World Junior Championships, with Slovenia competing in Division I at both events. During the under-18 tournament, he scored six goals and recorded eight points in five games, finishing second in goals and third in points overall, and leading Slovenia in both categories. At the World Juniors, he recorded one goal and one assist in five games.

In 2005, Kopitar played in three international tournaments for Slovenia: the World U18 Championship, World Juniors, and his first senior World Championship. Slovenia competed in Division I for the junior events and at the top level for the senior championship. His last junior tournament was in 2006, where he scored 6 points in 5 games. At the 2006 World Championship, he had three goals and nine points in six games, tying for fifth among all scorers. Slovenia was relegated to Division I for 2007, where Kopitar led the tournament with 13 assists and 14 points. In 2008, Slovenia returned to the top division, and Kopitar led his team with four points in five games, but the team was relegated again.

Playing style

In November 2018, Kopitar prepared to face off against Adam Gaudette. He has one of the highest career averages for face-off wins in the NHL.
Kopitar was recognized in the NHL as one of the best two-way forwards, excelling at both offense and defense. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2016 and 2018, and was a finalist in 2014 and 2015. Along with his defensive skills, Kopitar is among the league leaders in faceoff wins and led the Kings in scoring 14 times during his career.

Personal life

Kopitar was born in Jesenice, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia, to Matjaž and Mateja Kopitar. His father, Matjaž, played ice hockey for HK Acroni Jesenice, winning three league titles, and was part of both the Yugoslav and Slovenian national teams. He later coached HK Acroni Jesenice in the Austrian Hockey League during the 2006–07 season and led the Slovenian national team from 2010 to 2015. Kopitar’s mother, Mateja, worked at the family restaurant in Hrušica, a village about five kilometers from Jesenice.

When Kopitar was four, his father taught him to skate and built an ice rink in their backyard in Hrušica, where Kopitar played as often as possible. He has a younger brother, Gašper, who also plays ice hockey. After the family moved to Los Angeles, Gašper joined a junior team sponsored by the Kings, then played for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL and the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL before turning professional with Mora IK in Sweden. Their grandmother taught English at a local high school, and both brothers learned English from her. Kopitar speaks five languages: Slovenian, Serbian, German, Swedish, and English. He enjoys soccer and supports the Slovenian club NK Maribor.

Kopitar is well known in Slovenia for his hockey achievements. After he won the Stanley Cup in 2012, a government-sponsored website called him “the most recognised Slovenian sportsman.” As a young player, he took part in the 2000 and 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a Slovenian team. He also organizes an annual charity golf tournament that supports various groups, mainly young people.

Kopitar lived with his parents until he moved to Sweden, where he lived on his own. After his first NHL season, his family joined him in Los Angeles, and in 2014 he bought a home in Manhattan Beach. He met Ines Dominc in Slovenia in 2005, and they married in July 2013. Their daughter, Neža, was born on 14 March 2015, and their son, Jakob, was born on 5 October 2016.

Records

NHL

• First Slovenian player in league history
• Most career points by a Slovenian player (1,278)
• Most career assists by a Slovenian player (838)
• Most career goals by a Slovenian player (440)
• Most points in a season by a Slovenian player (92 in 2017–18)
• Most goals in a season by a Slovenian player (35, in 2017–18)
• Most assists in a season by a Slovenian player (57, in 2017–18)

Los Angeles Kings

• Most seasons played (20)
• Most games played (1,521)
• Most points (1,316)
• Most assists (864)
• Most game-winning goals (79)
• Longest tenured captain (10 seasons, from 2016–17 to 2025–26)