Kings name longtime defensive star Drew Doughty captain

The Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday named Drew Doughty their new captain, with the defenseman inheriting the role following Anze Kopitar's retirement this summer.

Doughty is the only player remaining from the Kings' 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup-winning teams and is entering his 19th NHL season, all with Los Angeles. He was originally drafted with the No. 2 pick in 2008 and made the NHL roster as a teenager, and in 2016 he won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defensive player. He will be the 15th captain in Kings history.

"Being named captain of an NHL team is something I'm truly honored by, and it's something I take great pride in," Doughty said. "I try to compete as hard as I possibly can every single day for this team, and winning is what fuels me, it's why I keep pushing to get better and chase success. The Kings mean everything to me.

Doughty is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Canada and helped the country win a silver medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. He is 17 games away from tying Dustin Brown for second in games played for the Kings, with 1,296.

Kings general manager Ken Holland said Doughty has earned the captaincy. "He's a champion who's won Stanley Cups and competed at the highest level of this game for a long time, and he's shown he can lead this team [by the] way he competes every day," Holland said. "That's the standard we want to set, and there's no one better to set it than Drew."

Los Angeles is hoping to ease through a transitional period under new coach Peter Laviolette and last season's trade deadline addition, Artemi Panarin. The front office doubled down this offseason with several veteran signings, including Erik Haula, Corey Perry and Mats Zuccarello. The Kings have made the playoffs in five straight seasons but have lost in the first round each time.