The Most Famous
HOCKEY PLAYERS from Slovenia
This page contains a list of the greatest Slovene Hockey Players. The pantheon dataset contains 676 Hockey Players, 2 of which were born in Slovenia. This makes Slovenia the birth place of the 19th most number of Hockey Players behind Pakistan, and United Kingdom.
Top 3
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Slovene Hockey Players of all time. This list of famous Slovene Hockey Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Anže Kopitar (b. 1987)
With an HPI of 32.69, Anže Kopitar is the most famous Slovene Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.
Anže Kopitar (pronounced [anˈʒɛ kɔˈpiːtaɾ], born 24 August 1987) is a Slovenian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). The 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft, Kopitar became the first Slovene to play in the NHL upon making his debut in 2006. Kopitar has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings, has led the team in scoring in all but two seasons and is second in franchise history in points, fourth in franchise history in goals, and first in franchise history in assists. He scored his 1,000th career point in 2021. Following the 2015–16 season, he was named the Kings' captain. Noted for both his offensive and defensive play, Kopitar was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016, as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play the same year. He won the Selke Trophy a second time in 2018 and the Lady Byng Trophy in 2023. Kopitar played junior hockey for his hometown team HK Acroni Jesenice before moving to Sweden at age 16 to play in a more competitive league. He spent one season with the junior teams of the Södertälje SK organization, and then with the senior team of the top-level Elitserien. He moved to North America to join the Kings in 2006, one year after he was drafted, and finished fourth in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting for the league's top rookie. Kopitar's offensive talent was immediately apparent when he joined the Kings, while his defensive style developed in later seasons and he has become recognized for his two-way play, being a finalist for the Selke Trophy four times and winning twice. In 2018, he was a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy. He also exemplified great gentlemanly play, being nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times and winning twice. Praised as one of the best players in the NHL, Kopitar won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, leading the playoffs in points on both occasions (tied with teammate Dustin Brown in 2012). Internationally, Kopitar has represented the Slovenian national team in several junior and senior tournaments, as well as at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He also played for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
2. Robert Kristan (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 30.60, Robert Kristan is the 2nd most famous Slovene Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Robert Kristan (born 4 April 1983) is a Slovenian professional goaltender who last played for HK Olimpija in the Alps Hockey League.
3. Jan Urbas (b. 1989)
With an HPI of 21.83, Jan Urbas is the 3rd most famous Slovene Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Jan Urbas (born January 26, 1989) is a Slovenian professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Fischtown Pinguins in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
People
Pantheon has 3 people classified as Slovene hockey players born between 1983 and 1989. Of these 3, 3 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Slovene hockey players include Anže Kopitar, Robert Kristan, and Jan Urbas. As of April 2024, 1 new Slovene hockey players have been added to Pantheon including Jan Urbas.
Living Slovene Hockey Players
Go to all Rankings
Anže Kopitar
1987 - Present
HPI: 32.69
Robert Kristan
1983 - Present
HPI: 30.60
Jan Urbas
1989 - Present
HPI: 21.83
