Drew Doughty will wear the "C" for the Los Angeles Kings.
The team announced Wednesday, Sept. 16, that the 36-year-old defenseman has been named the franchise's 15th captain, replacing Anze Kopitar, who retired after the 2025-26 season following 10 years as captain and a 20-year NHL career spent entirely in Los Angeles.
Doughty is the seventh defenseman in Kings history to hold the captaincy. Forwards Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin and defenseman Mikey Anderson will serve as alternate captains for the 2026-27 season.
The announcement came one day before the Kings opened training camp Thursday, Sept. 17, at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo.
Doughty had been an alternate captain since the 2015-16 season. He made no secret of his desire for the role at the end of last season.
"I would love to be the captain of this team. … It would mean the world to me to be the captain," Doughty said at the end of last season, according to LA Kings Insider.
General Manager Ken Holland said Doughty earned the honor through the way he competes daily, calling him a champion who sets the standard for the team. Head coach Peter Laviolette, hired over the summer, said Doughty's competitiveness is contagious.
Doughty is entering his 19th NHL season, all with Los Angeles. The Kings selected him second overall in the 2008 draft. He won Stanley Cups with the franchise in 2012 and 2014 and remains the only player from either championship roster still on the team.
His resume fills a page. He won the Norris Trophy in 2016 as the league's top defenseman, earned five All-Star selections and represented Canada in three Olympic Winter Games, winning gold in 2010 and 2014 and silver at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.
Among Kings defensemen, Doughty leads in every major career category: 1,279 games, 165 goals, 544 assists and 709 points. He enters the season 17 games from tying Dustin Brown for the second-most games played in franchise history.
The captaincy arrives during a pivotal stretch for Doughty and the Kings. His contract has one season remaining before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027. Holland said over the summer he would not sign Doughty to an extension before the season, preferring to see how the year unfolds, according to LA Kings Insider.
The Kings have made the playoffs five straight seasons but lost in the first round each time, according to ABC30. Laviolette and roster additions including Panarin, acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Rangers, along with offseason signings Erik Haula, Corey Perry and Mats Zuccarello are part of the push to change that.
Doughty, Laviolette and Holland were scheduled to address the media Thursday, Sept. 17, at Toyota Sports Performance Center. The Kings' first preseason game is Saturday, Sept. 19, against the Vegas Golden Knights at Toyota Arena in Ontario.
