Anže Kopitar (born August 24, 1987 in Jesenice,
Yugoslavia, now Slovenia) is a professional hockey
player. He was the 11th overall draft pick by the
Los Angeles Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Kopitar is the first Slovenian-born player to make
it to the NHL.
Kopitar made his NHL debut on October 6, 2006, at
Honda Center in Anaheim, California, against the
Anaheim Ducks. He scored two goals as the Kings lost
4-3. In his home debut at Staples Center the
following night, he had three assists in a 4-1 Kings
victory against the St. Louis Blues.
Kopitar is generally regarded as more of an
offensive player. In his first season, Kopitar
finished third in rookie points behind Evgeni Malkin
and Paul Stastny despite being injured for a
significant portion of the regular season. Thus far
in the 2007-08 NHL season, Kopitar leads the Kings
in scoring as a sophomore.
On January 10, 2008, Kopitar was selected to
represent the Western Conference at the 56th Annual
NHL All-Star Game.
