The Arizona Coyotes signed forward Liam Kirk of England to a three-year entry-level contract, his agent announced Friday.
Kirk was the first player born and trained in England to be drafted when, in 2018, Arizona made him the 189th overall selection in the seventh round.
Now 22, Kirk is coming off a star performance at the IIHF World Championship, where he scored seven goals for Great Britain — tied for most among all players.
“I’m looking forward to linking-up with Arizona with an entry-level contract,” Kirk said in a statement through the sport’s governing body in the UK. “It has always been my dream to play in the NHL so to get this deal with the Coyotes is fantastic. I am a step closer to that dream and I will continue to push myself to reach the elite level.”
Kirk played in Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League before moving to the Ontario Hockey League, one of Canada’s top-tier junior leagues, in 2019-20.
Now Kirk is on the path to becoming the first U.K. born-and-trained player to play in an NHL game. St. Louis Blues forward Nathan Walker was born in Wales but grew up in Australia and trained in the Czech Republic.
–Field Level Media