LA Kings: Dave Taylor reflects on drafting Anže Kopitar and his career that has followed

Dave Taylor, a former LA King and General Manager from 1997 to 2006, is responsible for drafting three of the four key members in the Kings’ two Stanley Cup championships.

Taylor and his staff drafted forward Dustin Brown in the first round of the 2003 draft and goaltender Jonathan Quick in the third round of the 2005 draft. However, his most noticeable pick would be forward Anže Kopitar with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft.

To understand how drafting Kopitar was a defining moment in Taylor’s tenure as the Kings’ GM, let’s rewind a little bit.

The 2004-05 season was wiped out due to the long-lasting NHL lockout. That put a major emphasis on scouting, an area Taylor said the Kings placed a lot of value on despite not having any revenue.

“There were some restrictions for us, and we were trying to watch our payroll with no revenue coming in,” said Taylor. “Most of our staff took a pay cut; everybody suffered a bit. Amateur scouting was so important that we put a lot of value on it. So, we were going to tournaments and getting to see the players we wanted to see.”

One of those players the team scouted was Kopitar, a 17-year-old centerman from Slovenia playing professionally in Sweden. When it came to scouting him, Taylor relied heavily on Al Murray (Director of Amateur Scouting) and Grant Sonier (Assistant Amateur Scouting Director )’s input. 

“Al and Grant did most of the crossovers early in the year; they made a special trip over to Europe to get in and watch Anze play,” Taylor recalled. “So, they snuck into this little rink and watched him play. I think it was a friendly national team game for Slovenia, and they thought he was outstanding.”

After receiving feedback from Murray and Sonier, Taylor became even more impressed when he saw a young Kopitar at the 2005 World Championships in Austria. 

“I was over at the [World Championship] tournament in Austria,” said Taylor. It was in two sites in Austria: Vienna and Innsbruck. I took a train to Innsbruck and watched a couple of games. He was 17 and was Slovenia’s best player. He scored a goal against Finland, if I remember correctly. He moved up our draft list rapidly.”

Despite having a lockout, the NHL held a combine in Buffalo. It was then that Taylor was blown away by meeting Kopitar in an interview. 

“He sat down, his English was excellent, and he talked like a coach,” Taylor recalled from the interview with Kopitar at the combine. “He was schooled very well. His dad played and coached in Slovenia. He had quite the hockey background and a tremendous personality. We were absolutely sold on him, if not after the interview, certainly before.”

Then came the 2005 NHL Draft. It was held in a hotel ballroom in Ottawa – a draft that will always be remembered as the Sidney Crosby draft. 

The Kings held the 11th pick of the draft. Kopitar was projected to be drafted around fifth or sixth (Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets). The Kings considered trading up to draft Kopitar, but opted to stay at number 11.

“We actually talked about moving up,” Taylor admitted. We had him ranked third on our list behind Sidney Crosby at one and Jack Johnson at two. Al talked to several people we trust. We absolutely would have moved up if we had to, but our read on it was that if we stayed at 11, he would be there.”

Crosby was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Johnson went third to the Carolina Hurricanes. The rest of the picks in the top nine came and went, and Kopitar was still on the draft board.

The only team standing in the way of the Kings taking Kopitar with the 11th pick was the Vancouver Canucks. When they announced defenseman Luc Bourdon as the 10th overall pick, Kopitar was destined to be a King.

The decision to stay at 11 and not move up paid off. The Kings got the best-ranked European skater in the draft, who happened to be among their top three overall players on their draft board.

After drafting Kopitar, a decision needed to be made: come over to the NHL or return to Europe for one more season. Kopitar opted to return to Europe for one more season to play in Sweden to aid his development. The decision was a mutual one, according to Taylor

“After we drafted him, we sat down, and I asked him, ‘What do you think about coming over to the National Hockey League, signing with us, and coming over next year? How do you think your development is?’ He said, ‘Honestly, I think I should spend one more year in Sweden, play at the men’s level, and the following year I’ll be ready to come over and play in the NHL,” Taylore recalled.

“It was a mutual agreement. Sweden teaches their players the basics of hockey. They teach players to play on both ends of the ice. Their schooling of the players is very good. I think it was a good choice for him.”

That decision would prove to be a good one.

September 2006 came, and Kopitar wasted no time making an impact upon his arrival. He scored twice in his NHL debut against the Anaheim Ducks, one of them by using his reach and size to get around Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger. The following night, in his home debut against the St. Louis Blues, he recorded three assists.

What made Kopitar an intriguing prospect when he arrived in Los Angeles was that he gave the Kings a legitimate number-one center who could facilitate, score, and play against top competition. 

“We drafted Dustin Brown two years earlier, and Anaheim drafted Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in that same draft. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau were in San Jose. The Sedin brothers were in Vancouver,” Taylor said. “Now, Kopi comes over, and we have a number-one center who can play against all of the top guys in the west.”

Although Taylor left the organization in 2007, his and his front office’s fingerprints were all over the Kings’ two Stanley Cup victories in 2012 & ‘14, led by Brown, Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick.

Kopitar played a pivotal role in both of the Kings’ Cup runs and has achieved many accolades throughout his decorated 20-year career. 

When drafting him, did Taylor and the rest of his staff envision his career reaching the heights it is at today?

“Probably not,” Taylor admitted. “We thought we were drafting a number-one center. He’s a pros pro. He’s always been right. Even today, when you watch him play, there is no panic in his game. He makes the correct play 99.9% of the time, it seems…we kind of joke about it every game he plays every year, he makes us look a little smarter.”

The 2025-26 season will be the last one as a King for Kopitar, as he is set to hang up his skates once the Kings’ season ends. The sunset is finally setting, and a 20-year chapter is closing.

Kopitar has continued to add personal accolades to an already Hall of Fame resume as the Kings continue to fight for their playoff lives. He reached the 1,500-game plateau on March 5th in a 5-3 win over the Islanders. A week later, he surpassed Marcel Dionne as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, a record that stood for 45 years.

Put those two achievements together with the Stanely Cup rings, Selke trophies, Lady Byng winner, all-time assist leader in Kings history, one of four players to score 400 goals as a King, all-star selections, first-ever born Slovenian player to play in the NHL, and 20 years with one team, you have a future first ballot Hall of Famer and an LA King icon.

When you look at the players who wore a King uniform and are considered an all-time great for the franchise, you have: Dionne, Taylor, Charlie Simmer, Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls, Luc Robitaille, and Rogie Vachon. Kopitar is a sure-fire bet to be added to that list once his final game is over, if he hasn’t already.

Taylor, having played alongside Dionne – forming the infamous Triple Crown line in the 1980s along with Simmer – being teammates with the rest of the names listed above and drafting Kopitar, didn’t hesitate to rank the latter as the greatest King of all time.

“There have been a lot of good players who have come through here,” Taylor said. “But, I think what Kopi has accomplished is having the longevity, winning the two Stanley Cups, winning a lot of individual awards, and playing a strong two-way game. I think winning the championships is the ultimate for him. I would rank him number one.”

“I would say he’s the best draft pick the franchise has ever made.”

Tonight is Anze Kopitar Legacy Night. The Kings will honor the captain, and Taylor, the man who drafted him, will be among those in attendance.

Featured image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

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