The LA Kings announced their annual Team Awards, acknowledging individual players for their performance and contributions to the organization. This year’s honorees are:
Bill Libby Memorial Award – “Most Valuable Player”: Darcy Kuemper
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been selected by the media as the Bill Libby Memorial Award winner for Most Valuable Player on the Kings this season. Acquired by the Kings last June, Kuemper has established a 31-11-7 record with five shutouts while maintaining a 2.02 goals against average (GAA), .922% save percentage (SV %) in 50 games played this year. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native’s GAA is tied for lowest among all NHL netminders while his SV% places second (min. GP: 40). Kuemper was named the NHL’s “First Star of the Week” for the week ending March 16 after earning his 199th and 200th career victories with consecutive shutouts against Washington (March 13) and Nashville (March 15). Those performances marked the first time a Kings goalie recorded back-to-back shutouts since Kuemper himself did so on Jan. 30 and Feb. 3, 2018, and helped the 34-year-old set a new franchise mark for longest home point streak by posting a 15-game run (14-0-1) from Feb. 5 through March 25.
Mark Bavis Memorial Award – “Best Newcomer”: Warren Foegele
In his first season with the Kings, Warren Foegele set career-highs in goals (24), points (24-22=46), even-strength goals (23), game-winning goals (7) and blocks (40) while maintaining a team-high plus-36 rating. Foegele’s plus-36 is tied for the second-highest among all league forward and tied for fourth in the league overall. In addition to his pacesetting plus/minus rating, Foegele enters the final game of the regular season tied for the most game-winning goals on the team and is expected to skate in all 82 games in a single season for the third time in his career.
Outstanding Defenseman: Vladislav Gavrikov
For the first time his career, Vladislav Gavrikov has been voted Outstanding Defenseman by the members of the media. Through 81 games played on the campaign, Gavrikov (5-25=30) has clinched his second career 30-point season (5-28=33 in 2021-22 w/ CBJ). He is tied for the team lead among blueliners in goals (5) and plus-minus (+27), and places second in assists, points and shots (110). Gavrikov’s plus-24 rating this year marks a new career-best, more than doubling his previous best set last season (+9). The 29-year-old also set a new career-high in time-on-ice per game (TOI/GP) by averaging 23:07 minutes, second on the team behind Drew Doughty’s 24:12 min. TOI/GP.
Best Defensive Player: Darcy Kuemper
Darcy Kuemper was voted the team’s Best Defensive Player by the media for this season after helping backstop the Kings to one of their best defensive seasons in franchise history. Entering the final fixture of the regular season, the Kings have conceded just 198 total goals against, equating to 2.44 goals-against-per-game. The Kings and Winnipeg Jets are the only two teams in the NHL to have allowed fewer than 200 goals against this season. During a monthlong stretch from March 5 through April 10, Kuemper joined Miikka Kiprusoff (16 GS in 2003-04) as just the second goaltender in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to have 15 or more consecutive starts of allowing two or fewer goals. Per data from NHL EDGE, Kuemper (.863 SV%) has maintained the highest save-percentage in high-danger situations of any netminder in the League.
Most Inspirational Player – “Ace Bailey Memorial Award”: Anze Kopitar
Voted by the Kings players, captain Anze Kopitar has been named the recipient of the Ace Bailey Award for Most Inspirational Player for the third time in his career. The former Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award winner, two-time Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy winner, two-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner, and two-time Stanley Cup Champion will conclude his 19th regular season as a member of the Los Angeles Kings this week. The captain opened the 2024-25 campaign by scoring his seventh career hat trick on Oct. 10, 2024, at Buffalo, becoming the fifth player in NHL history to score a hat trick in two season-opening games (also 3-2=5 on Oct. 14, 2021). On Dec. 7, 2024, Kopitar became the 43rd skater in League history to skate in 1,400 regular season contests. Through 80 games played this year, Kopitar ranks second among all Kings skaters with 67 points (21-46=67), which has helped the 37-year-old climb to 40th in NHL history with 1,278 career points (440-838=1,278). He finishes the season as the Kings’ all-time leader in several categories, including seasons played (19), games played (1,453), assists (838), and game-winning goals (78) while his name features among the top five in nearly every other metric in franchise history.
Unsung Hero Award: Warren Foegele
In addition to receiving the Mark Bavis Memorial Award for “Best Newcomer,” Foegele has been recognized with the team’s Unsung Hero Award. Of Foegele’s personal-best 24 goals this season, 23 have come during even-strength situations. The native of Markham, Ontario, leads the Kings with 33 takeaways this season, while his seven game-winning goals are tied with Anze Kopitar for the most among all team skaters.
Most Popular Player: Quinton Byfield
The LA Kings Booster Club voted Quinton Byfield the team’s Most Popular Player for the first time in his career. On the ice, the 22-year-old forward enjoyed another season of offensive success, scoring a career-high 23 goals as part of his second consecutive 50-point season (23-31=54) after his break-out 55-point (20-35=55) campaign last year. The native of Newmarket, Ontario, has scored a team-leading three overtime goals this season and is one of six Kings skaters in team history to score nine or more game-winning goals before age 23. In his fifth professional season, Byfield’s on-ice leadership and engagement with fans in the community and through social media have entrenched him as a centerpiece of the Kings organization.
Jim Fox Community Service Award: Kevin Fiala
For the third time in his career, Kevin Fiala was chosen as the winner of this year’s Jim Fox Community Service Award. The award recognizes the player that best exemplifies strong community outreach as determined by the Kings Care Foundation. Fiala, who was also selected as the Kings’ nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the second consecutive season, has established himself as a pillar of the Los Angeles community through his extensive involvement with CHLA and other programs, such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Fiala is the first King to win the Jim Fox Community Service Award on three consecutive occasions since Dustin Brown received the honor three times from 2008-09 through 2010-11.
Daryl Evans Youth Hockey Service Award: Adrian Kempe
Adrian Kempe has been chosen as the Daryl Evans Youth Hockey Service Award winner by the LA Kings Hockey Development Department. This marks Kempe’s first time winning the award and recognizes the active role that Kempe has maintained in the Kings Learn-to-Play programming throughout his career.
