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Pheonix Copley
Copley with the Los Angeles Kings in 2023
Born (1992-01-18) January 18, 1992 (age 32)
North Pole, Alaska, U.S.
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams
Los Angeles Kings
St. Louis Blues
Washington Capitals
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2014–present

Pheonix Copley (born January 18, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

USHL and college

Undrafted, Copley played in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Tri-City Storm and Des Moines Buccaneers before committing to play collegiate hockey with Michigan Tech of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). At the conclusion of his sophomore season, Copley opted to turn professional, agreeing to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on March 20, 2014. [1]

St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals

Copley was assigned to AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, to begin his first full professional season in 2014–15. In sharing the crease, he impressed with the Bears, earning 17 wins in 26 games. In the off-season, Copley was included in a trade, which also included Troy Brouwer and a third-round pick in 2016, to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for T. J. Oshie on July 2, 2015. [2]

In the 2015–16 season, Copley made his NHL debut with the Blues in relief in a defeat to the Nashville Predators on February 27, 2016. [3]

During the 2016–17 season, on January 20, 2017, Copley was recalled from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL by the Blues. [4] He made the first start of his NHL career on January 21 against the Winnipeg Jets, [5] where the Blues lost 5–3. [6] After he was returned to the Wolves, on February 27, 2017, Copley was traded back to the Capitals in a deadline trade along with Kevin Shattenkirk in exchange for Zach Sanford, Brad Malone, a 2017 first-round pick, and a conditional second-round pick in 2019. [7] Copley was called up to the NHL during the Capitals' 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs run and although he did not play during the playoffs, he stayed with the team as they won the 2018 Stanley Cup. [8]

Copley made the Capitals opening-night roster to begin the 2018–19 season. [9] He recorded his first NHL win in a 4–3 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on October 27, 2018. [10] He spent the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons with the Hershey Bears, where he earned the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award with Zachary Fucale for the 2020–21 season's best save percentage. [11]

Los Angeles Kings

As a free agent following the 2021–22 season, Copley signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 13, 2022. [12] After Kings goaltenders Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick struggled at the start of the 2022–23 season, the Kings called up Copley from the AHL in December 2022. [13] Copley would quickly establish himself as the team's starting goaltender, becoming just the fifth goaltender in franchise history to win seven games in a row. [14]

During the 2023–24 season Copley played in eight games before sustaining an injury during practice on December 15, 2023, and was then placed on the long-term injured reserve list two days later. [15] On January 6, 2024, it was announced that he would not return during the season due to a season-ending ACL surgery. [16] [17]

Personal life

Copley was born on January 18, 1992, in North Pole, Alaska, [18] to parents Peter Copley and Mary Sanford. [19] His older brother Navarone also plays ice hockey. [20] At a young age, his family moved to Ohio so his father could pursue an advanced degree. Eventually, his parents divorced and Mary, Navarone and Pheonix moved back to Alaska. [19] In honor of his birthplace, Copley has candy canes on his goaltender mask. [21]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2009–10 Southern California Titans NAPHL 10 6 1 1 429 22 0 3.08 .871
2010–11 Corpus Christi IceRays NAHL 42 14 23 4 2,376 165 0 4.17 .880
2011–12 Tri-City Storm USHL 25 9 13 0 1,451 76 2 3.14 .905
2011–12 Des Moines Buccaneers USHL 20 7 11 1 1,163 60 0 3.09 .909
2012–13 Michigan Tech WCHA 24 8 15 1 1,322 71 3 3.22 .900
2013–14 Michigan Tech WCHA 30 10 13 6 1,724 72 1 2.51 .911
2013–14 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 3 2 1 0 147 8 0 3.26 .906 1 0 1 70 3 0 2.58 .923
2014–15 Hershey Bears AHL 26 17 4 3 1,520 55 3 2.17 .925 5 3 1 229 7 0 1.83 .946
2015–16 Chicago Wolves AHL 37 15 16 3 2,088 97 3 2.79 .909
2015–16 St. Louis Blues NHL 1 0 0 0 24 1 0 2.50 .833
2016–17 Chicago Wolves AHL 25 15 6 2 1,452 56 1 2.31 .920
2016–17 St. Louis Blues NHL 1 0 1 0 59 5 0 5.09 .828
2016–17 Hershey Bears AHL 16 11 5 0 920 33 0 2.15 .931 9 5 4 534 19 1 2.13 .933
2017–18 Hershey Bears AHL 41 15 17 6 2,184 106 2 2.91 .896
2018–19 Washington Capitals NHL 27 16 7 3 1,529 74 1 2.90 .905
2019–20 Hershey Bears AHL 31 17 8 6 1,868 77 2 2.47 .905
2020–21 Hershey Bears AHL 15 10 4 1 902 40 2 2.66 .896
2021–22 Hershey Bears AHL 35 18 12 5 2,114 84 2 2.38 .913 3 1 2 184 7 0 2.29 .929
2021–22 Washington Capitals NHL 2 0 1 0 97 5 0 3.11 .878
2022–23 Ontario Reign AHL 11 6 4 1 630 26 0 2.48 .913
2022–23 Los Angeles Kings NHL 37 24 6 3 2,090 92 1 2.64 .902 1 0 0 29 2 0 4.26 .750
2023–24 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8 4 1 2 436 23 1 3.16 .870
NHL totals 76 44 16 8 4,234 200 3 2.83 .899 1 0 0 29 2 0 4.26 .750

References

  1. ^ "Capitals sign Pheonix Copley". Washington Capitals. March 20, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  2. ^ "Blue acquire Brouwer from Capitals". St. Louis Blues. July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  3. ^ Stanley, Robby (February 27, 2016). "Forsberg hat trick lifts Predators past Blues". St. Louis Blues. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  4. ^ "Blues recall Copley from Wolves". National Hockey League. January 20, 2017.
  5. ^ "Copley will start against Winnipeg". National Hockey League. January 21, 2017.
  6. ^ "Little scores twice, Jets beat Blues 5–3". The News & Observer. Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Canadian Press. January 21, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  7. ^ "Capitals acquire defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk from Blues". The Washington Post. February 27, 2017. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  8. ^ Joyal, Brad (June 11, 2018). "North Pole goaltender Pheonix Copley reflects on Stanley Cup win". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  9. ^ "NHL opening night rosters for 2018-19 season". NHL.com. October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  10. ^ Vickers, Aaron (October 27, 2018). "Copley gets first NHL win, Capitals edge Flames in shootout". NHL.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  11. ^ "Hershey's Copley, Fucale Win AHL's Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award". OurSports Central. May 18, 2021.
  12. ^ "Kings sign Pheonix Copley and Tobie Paquette-Bisson". Los Angeles Kings. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "Pheonix Copley Transactions". CapFriendly. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  14. ^ "NHL Morning Skate – Jan. 4, 2023". NHL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Jablonski, Jack (December 18, 2023). "The Week That Was, The Week That Is - 12/18". NHL.com. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Copley out for season for Kings following ACL surgery". NHL.com. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  17. ^ Stephens, Eric (January 6, 2024). "Kings goalie Pheonix Copley out for remainder of season after ACL surgery". The Athletic. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "Pheonix Copley". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Willhite, Lindsey (December 19, 2015). "GOALTENDER PHEONIX COPLEY: MAN OF STEELY DETERMINATION". Chicago Wolves. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  20. ^ "Navarone Copley". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  21. ^ Khurshudyan, Isabelle (December 23, 2018). "Copley posts shutout; Caps maintain edge". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2021 – via newspapers.com.

External links