Somewhere out there, a young British kid is going to discover the game of hockey because of Liam Kirk.
The 18-year-old forward born in Rotherham, Great Britain, was selected in the 7th round, 189th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and become the first UK-born player to ever be drafted into the league that grew up and trained in the UK.
Playing in the EIHL (Elite Ice Hockey League) in England for the Sheffield Steekers, the top professional leage in the UK, the 6-foot, 161-pound Brit notched a respectable nine goals and 16 points playing against men much older than him. It was the third-most points ever scored by a player under the age of 19 in the league, and the most ever by a U-18 player. At age 16, ee was promoted to the big club after spending years playing against his own age group.
"It's an honor just to be drafted, but to be from England, it's kind of incredible and I'm just really proud and very thankful to my family, friends and the coaches who have helped me reach this point," said Kirk to NHL.com's Mike Morreale.
"I hope this does open up a lot of eyes so young kids can believe that their dreams can come true in everything, and not just ice hockey."
Kirk will be drafted into the CHL import draft on Thursday, June 28, and will likely making the jump across the Atlantic to play in North America.
As per the IIHF, the UK has over 10,000 registered hockey players in a population that’s just south of 65 million people. Kirk was not in Dallas for the draft, and opted to stay in his hometown roughly 7,400 KM away.
Kirk could represent Great Britain at the 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championships in Slovakia after the nation surprisingly qualified for the first time in 25 years. He was the second-yongest member on the team that needed a 3-2 shootout win over Hungary to punch their ticket to the division
Kirk led the 2018 World Junior Championship Division 2 in points with 14 points.
So, how did a kid from Britan get involved with hockey?
"I still remember my parents taking me and my brother to watch the (Sheffield) Steelers (of the United Kingdom's Elite Ice Hockey League) when I was a kid. My older brother started playing and I just kind of copied him and here I am."
"When I was 6 years old I just wanted to play for Sheffield. I didn't know much about the NHL in England back then. I started learning about the NHL when I was 7 or 8 years old."
Now, at 18, Kirk is ready to make the jump and face some the best players in his age group in the CHL. But, Kirk isn’t going to forget where he came from anytime soon, and wants to be a role model for kids growing up in countries where hockey isn’t that popular.
“I hope it kind of gives the visual to kids in all non-traditional hockey countries, not just England, that if you believe and just put in the hard work and you’re committed that you can make it.”
