Ambitious Liam Kirk back on familiar ice to continue bid of realising NHL dream

It was around 12 months ago, that he was stepping out on the ice at the Arizona Coyotes’ Gila River Arena for a prospect development camp on the back of a whirlwind few days which followed him becoming the first English-born and trained player to be picked in the NHL Entry Draft.

A seventh-round and 189th overall pick for the Coyotes, the 19-year-old from Maltby impressed his new employers having first come to the attention of them and other NHL scouts during a season of rapid progress under head coach Paul Thompson at Sheffield Steelers.

Kirk is back at the Gila Arena this week to take part in another development camp for the NHL organisation which has overseen and observed his development while playing in the OHL for the Peterborough Petes, under the watchful gaze and tutelage of former Steelers’ defenceman, Rob Wilson.

After what he himself admitted was a difficult start to his time in North America in what is considered the world’s best junior league, Kirk returned after a Christmas break back home with family and friends in South Yorkshire determined to prove that he belonged.

And how he blossomed, finishing the season with a 48-point haul, including 26 goals, from 68 games which included a first-round playoff exit in five games at the hands of the Oshawa Generals.

And as he prepares to be put through his paces by his NHL bosses once again, Kirk’s desire to realise his dream of playing in the world’s best league remains as fierce as at any time in the past few years.

“Things definitely got better the longer the season went on for me,” said Kirk, a member of the GB ice hockey team that in Slovakia last month secured a second year at the top tier of the world championships.

“I had that struggle at the start being away from home, but towards the end of the year I felt a lot more comfortable in my own environment and things started to click.

“I got success from that and as a team we had our ups and downs and we didn’t get the playoff push we wanted to, but, for me as a whole, it was definitely a good season.

“I learned a lot from the past year and it was a good start for me to build off.”

As well as the guidance on a daily basis from Wilson and his Petes’ coaching team, Kirk is under constant observation from the Coyotes and while the feedback on his first year has generally been positive, Kirk acknowledges there are plenty of improvements to his game still to be made.

“The main feedback from Arizona was that they want me to work on my strength and getting to the middle more, creating more chances,” he explained. “They want me to use my speed and skating to my advantage more.

“Obviously when I’m back over in Arizona they will be giving me more stuff to work on there and they will be giving me more feedback but, overall, it has been pretty positive.”

For the next 12 months, Kirk’s main focus is to do enough to earn that NHL contract offer from the Coyotes.

“I need to make sure I have a good camp in Arizona,” he added. “Just keep working hard and building on last season and go on a big playoff push with Peterborough. That’s the kind of thing that scouts look for, they look at teams who can go far in the playoffs and that is where you get evaluated a lot more.

“Getting drafted is a big thing, obviously, but then there is a lot more hard work to be done after that to earn a contract. So I’m hoping for a good season with the Petes and then the main goal is to sign a contract with Arizona.”

Since Kirk’s historic moment last summer, there has been plemnty of talk on whether other British youngsters can follow in his footsteps.

He is firmly of the belief that others can follow in his footsteps.

“I don’t see why not,” he said. “Obviously you have to have some kind of luck and be in the right place, at the right time to an extent, but I’m just a regular kid from Maltby that has had a dream and worked hard for it, so others can do it.”