Pheonix Copley

Pheonix Copley was born on January 18, 1992, in North Pole, Alaska — a detail that follows the left-catching, 6'4" goaltender wherever his career takes him. Now 34 and under contract with the Los Angeles Kings, Copley carries a career NHL record of 44 wins, 17 losses, and 8 overtime losses across 78 games, with a 2.85 goals-against average, a .898 save percentage, and 3 shutouts.

The 2022-23 season marked a turning point in his NHL career. Copley went 24-6-3 in 37 games with the Kings — more than doubling his career NHL total in games played across the previous 10 pro seasons, as noted in his first Pro Read with InGoal ^[1]. He carried that momentum into the following season, earning a shutout in his last start before sitting down for a video session with InGoal's Kevin Woodley ^[2].

InGoal Magazine has covered Pheonix Copley in one podcast appearance and two Pro Reads.

In those sessions, Copley walked through two separate save sequences in detail. Against the Edmonton Oilers' power play, he explained his decision-making around post entries with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — specifically, the role of his anchors and arm positioning. "It's situational," Copley said of keeping his arm outside the post. "In this specific situation its more to keep this side free if he shoots. If my elbow is locked on the post, it would be harder to come up, whereas if its free I can lift and come up more." ^[1] On reading the east-west pass to Nugent-Hopkins in the second part of that sequence, he described the process as connecting the dots on where the puck is going, adding that getting to the post first drove him into the right position ^[1].

In the follow-up session against the Philadelphia Flyers at 5-on-5, Copley broke down a play he described with a chuckle as "not the prettiest save." ^[2] He explained that facing a puck carrier with options on either side led him to play conservatively with his depth. "Not being out too far and then patience on edges helps too, if he doesn't shoot, to get over to whichever side he's going to make the pass to," he said, describing the combination of shallow positioning and holding his edges as the factors that allowed him to make what he called a "half attempt at a pad stack." ^[2] On reading the pass, he said he was waiting for the blade to open. "As soon as he opens up the blade," Copley said, "up until that point it's just a matter of being patient and tracking the puck and not committing to anything too soon." ^[2]

In the 2025-26 season, Copley has appeared in one game for the Kings, posting a 3.07 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage over 58:34 of ice time.