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, 3 of which were born in Slovenia. This makes Slovenia the birth place of the 20th most number of Hockey Players behind Kazakhstan, and Belarus.
Top 5
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 44.14, 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 player who is a centre and captain for 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 four seasons and is second in franchise history in points, third in goals, and first 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 and 2018 while also being a finalist in 2014 and 2015, as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play in 2016, 2023 and 2025 while also being a finalist in 2015. He was also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2018. 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 while his defensive style developed in later seasons and he has become recognized for his two-way play. 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 42.20, Robert Kristan is the 2nd most famous Slovene Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Robert Kristan (born 4 April 1983) is a Slovenian former professional goaltender who last played for HK Olimpija in the Alps Hockey League.
3. Marcel Rodman (b. 1981)
With an HPI of 38.27, Marcel Rodman is the 3rd most famous Slovene Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Marcel Rodman (September 25, 1981) is a Slovenian former professional ice hockey forward.
4. Jan Urbas (b. 1989)
With an HPI of 35.88, Jan Urbas is the 4th most famous Slovene Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Jan Urbas (born January 26, 1989) is a Slovenian professional ice hockey player from Cerknica. He is currently playing with the Fischtown Pinguins in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
5. Robert Sabolič (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 33.37, Robert Sabolič is the 5th most famous Slovene Hockey Player. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Robert Sabolič (born 18 September 1988) is a Slovenian ice hockey player who plays for EC VSV in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He participated at several IIHF World Championships as a member of the Slovenia men's national ice hockey team. He has previously played with Swedish ice hockey club Södertälje. During the 2013–14 season, Sabolič won the German championship with Ingolstadt. He was an important part in Ingolstadt's success, with fourteen points, nine goals, and four assists in 21 post-season matches. Sabolič also scored the most goals during the 2013–14 DEL playoffs. After parts of two seasons with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, Sabolič left the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) following the 2018–19 season, signing a-year contract with Swiss club HC Ambrì-Piotta on 26 July 2019.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Slovene hockey players born between 1981 and 1989. Of these 5, 5 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Slovene hockey players include Anže Kopitar, Robert Kristan, and Marcel Rodman. As of April 2024, 2 new Slovene hockey players have been added to Pantheon including Marcel Rodman, and Robert Sabolič.
Living Slovene Hockey Players
Go to all Rankings
Anže Kopitar
1987 - Present
HPI: 44.14
Robert Kristan
1983 - Present
HPI: 42.20
Marcel Rodman
1981 - Present
HPI: 38.27
Jan Urbas
1989 - Present
HPI: 35.88
Robert Sabolič
1988 - Present
HPI: 33.37
