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Kings captain Anže Kopitar earns 2 team awards in final season

April 17, 2026

The Kings limboed under the postseason bar for their fifth straight playoff berth, a sigh of relief that became a huzzah of exaltation on Friday when they announced their team awards.

Retiring captain Anže Kopitar was the most celebrated King, though not the team MVP.

He was voted by the local media as the team’s best defensive player, edging out the likes of preferred top matchup man Quinton Byfield, shorthanded guru Joel Armia and Brandt Clarke, who improved in his own end and led the Kings in blocked shots by a wide margin. Kopitar, who has won two Selke Trophy honors as the league’s best defensive forward, led the Kings in 5-on-5 goals-for percentage. They scored twice as many goals with him on the ice as they allowed and his work in the faceoff circle was among the best of his illustrious career.

Kopitar was also voted by the players as the club’s most inspirational player, earning him the Ace Bailey Memorial Award. In his 20th and final campaign, he missed a career-high 15 games but still led the team in plus-minus rating and reached numerous milestones, including 1,500 games played and sole possession of the franchise’s career scoring record.

His linemates, Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin, were also honored.

Kempe, who led the Kings in points for the third straight season and in goals for the fourth time in five years, was voted team MVP by the local media. He bookended his campaign with 15 points in 12 October games and 24 points in 22 appearances during the final six weeks of the season.

Voted best newcomer, Panarin was acquired via trade just before the Olympic break and made his Kings debut right afterward. Prior to his arrival, the Kings had scored the second-fewest goals in the NHL, but since then they have been right at the league median, while also seeing their power play boosted from 16% to 20%, a 25% proportion.

On the blue line, Clarke was an obvious selection for the Kings’ best defenseman. The award had been monopolized by Drew Doughty, but in recent years the departed Matt Roy and Vladislav Gavrikov were also recognized. Clarke excelled laying his body on the line to thwart shot attempts and foil odd-man rushes while remaining the Kings’ most mobile defender and their best rearguard by far with the puck. He led all Kings D-men in goals-for percentage, goals, assists, points, power-play points and shots on goal.

Backup goalie Anton Forsberg seized the reins in net down the stretch, earning Player of the Week honors from the NHL and now the Unsung Hero nod for the Kings.

Defenseman Jacob Moverare was highlighted with the Daryl Evans Youth Hockey Service Award for his diligent and enthusiastic work with the Kings’ learn-to-play program.

Winger Kevin Fiala, who was nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, was recognized by the team with the Jim Fox Community Service Award for a fourth consecutive campaign. His work in Southern California and his native Switzerland has focused largely on pediatric patients and their families.

Fiala’s linemate, Andrei Kuzmenko, was voted by the Kings’ booster club as the team’s most popular player.

Orange County Register

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Kings captain Anže Kopitar earns 2 team awards in final season

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