Kings' Anze Kopitar nominated for Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) crashes the net against the Lightning at Crypto. com Arena on January 1st, 2026 in Los Angeles California. Los Angeles Kings center and captain Anze Kopitar will be the team’s nominee for the 2026 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the Los Angeles chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) announced this morning.

Kopitar is in his 20th and final season in the NHL, all with the Kings, making him the only player to play that many seasons in Los Angeles. He announced at the beginning of the season that it would be his last, and has been honored with various ceremonies and forms of recognition throughout the year by both the Kings and other teams in the league. During the season, he broke the Kings’ franchise record for scoring and played in his 1,500th career regular-season game.

Although his 36 points would be a career-low, he continues to play a crucial role by centering the team’s top line alongside top scorers Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin. He also leads the Kings in plus-minus this season. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings, Kopitar has served as their captain for the last 10 seasons.

The 11th overall pick at the 2005 NHL entry draft, he has posted 452 goals and 862 assists in 1,516 regular-season games along with 27 goals and 62 assists in a franchise-record 103 playoff games. He is also a five-time All-Star and has won two Selke Trophies as the NHL’s best defensive forward and three Lady Byng Trophies as the league’s most gentlemanly player. The NHL defines the Masterton Trophy as an award for “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.