Story Summary
Drew Doughty has been named captain of the Los Angeles Kings, the club announced. He replaces Anze Kopitar, who retired following the 2025-26 season after a 20-year NHL career, including 10 seasons as the Kings’ captain. Doughty has been an alternate captain since the 2015-16 season and has spent his entire 18-season NHL career with Los Angeles since being selected No. 2 overall in the 2008 NHL Draft. The Kings named forwards Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin and defenceman Mikey Anderson as alternate captains to join Doughty in the leadership group. Doughty is the franchise leader among defence players in points (709), goals (165), assists (544) and games played (1,279), and he holds the Kings’ playoff records for a defenceman with 61 points, 19 goals and 42 assists in 105 postseason games. His championship and international résumé includes Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, the 2016 Norris Trophy and Olympic gold medals for Canada in 2010 and 2014, plus an Olympic silver medal at Milano Cortina in 2026.
Key Facts
- Drew Doughty was named captain of the Los Angeles Kings.
- He replaces Anze Kopitar, who retired after the 2025-26 season following a 20-year NHL career and 10 seasons as the Kings’ captain.
- Doughty had served as an alternate captain since the 2015-16 season.
- Doughty has played his entire 18-season NHL career with the Kings since being selected No. 2 overall in the 2008 NHL Draft.
- He is the franchise leader among defencemen in points (709), goals (165), assists (544) and games played (1,279).
- Doughty holds the franchise Stanley Cup Playoff records for a defenceman with 61 points, 19 goals and 42 assists in 105 games.
- He helped lead the Kings to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014 and won the Norris Trophy in 2016.
- Internationally, Doughty won Olympic gold with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014 and took silver at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.
- The Kings’ leadership group will include alternate captains Adrian Kempe, Artemi Panarin and Mikey Anderson.
- Kings general manager and vice president Ken Holland said Doughty has earned the role, citing his championships and competition at the highest level.
IHM Discussion
The decision to name Drew Doughty captain formalises a leadership transition that had been building within the Kings for more than a decade. Anze Kopitar’s retirement closed a 20-year chapter in Los Angeles and left a vacancy at the head of a room that Doughty has already helped steady as an alternate since 2015-16. The choice is rooted in continuity: Doughty is a franchise lifer, entering his 18th season with Los Angeles and carrying an unmistakable record of on-ice production and postseason performance that sets him apart among NHL defencemen.
Statistically, Doughty’s standing with the Kings is emphatic. He leads all franchise defencemen in regular-season points (709), goals (165), assists (544) and games played (1,279). He has translated that regular-season production to the playoffs, where he holds the club records for a defenceman with 61 points, 19 goals and 42 assists in 105 postseason contests. Those numbers speak to a player who has combined longevity with sustained impact – qualities franchises commonly prize in a captain.
Beyond the counting stats, Doughty brings a championship résumé and individual accolades that reinforce the symbolic aspects of the role. He was an integral part of the Kings’ Stanley Cup-winning teams of 2012 and 2014 and was recognised as the League’s top defenceman with the Norris Trophy in 2016. Those achievements give Doughty the sort of credibility that helps bridge the dressing room and the front office; Ken Holland’s remark that Doughty “has earned this” underlines the organisation’s view of leadership by example.
The composition of the new leadership group – with Adrian Kempe, Artemi Panarin and Mikey Anderson as alternates – brings established forwards and another defenceman around the captain. That balance can help preserve continuity after Kopitar’s departure while sharing leadership responsibility across the roster.
Why It Matters
Captaincy matters because it is both a practical designation and a cultural symbol. Practically, the captain acts as the primary player representative to officials and the media and is often the central voice within the dressing room; culturally, the captain sets a standard. Naming a long-tenured, high-achievement player like Doughty sends an internal message about the values the Kings want to foreground: competitiveness, consistency and postseason experience.
For younger players and recently acquired talents, having a captain who has twice been through the Stanley Cup journey – and who holds franchise records among defencemen – can be stabilising. Kopitar’s retirement removes an established leader with whom the club had navigated two decades; Doughty’s promotion aims to supply a familiar and accomplished presence to replace that steadiness. The alternates named alongside him give the leadership group complementary skill sets: scoring and experience from forwards paired with Doughty’s defensive pedigree.
Mini Q&A
Who was named captain of the Los Angeles Kings?
Drew Doughty was named captain of the Los Angeles Kings.
Who did Doughty replace as captain?
He replaces Anze Kopitar, who retired following the 2025-26 season after 10 seasons as the Kings’ captain.
How long has Doughty been with the Kings?
Doughty has played his entire 18-season NHL career with the Kings since being selected No. 2 overall in the 2008 NHL Draft.
What leadership group will join Doughty?
The leadership group will include alternate captains Adrian Kempe, Artemi Panarin and Mikey Anderson.
What franchise records does Doughty hold?
He is the franchise leader among defencemen in points (709), goals (165), assists (544) and games played (1,279), and he holds the Kings’ playoff records for a defenceman with 61 points, 19 goals and 42 assists in 105 games.
What are Doughty’s major career achievements?
Doughty helped the Kings win the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, won the Norris Trophy in 2016 and won Olympic gold with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014, plus silver at Milano Cortina in 2026.
Coach Mark Comment
Doughty’s appointment gives the Kings a captain with long-standing credibility in the room and experience of the standards required in playoff hockey. With Kempe, Panarin and Anderson serving as alternates, the leadership group has representation across the roster.
IHM Final View
Doughty’s appointment is a clear continuity move by the Kings: it rewards a franchise stalwart with a formal leadership role and pairs him with alternates who complement his strengths. The promotion acknowledges past success while signalling the club expects experienced, championship-tested standards to guide the roster going forward. For Los Angeles, the captaincy is no longer symbolic of the past; with Doughty it becomes an operational tool for steering the team through the post-Kopitar era.