A Brit in the NHL draft – Liam Kirk is reaching for the dream
We’ve seen them show up every once in a while, players with a rather exotic background in terms of hockey culture. Their stories are often filled with sacrifice and persistence since they start out playing hockey in countries where sheets of ice are scarce.
Take Nathan Walker for example. The 24 year-old Australian forward, who made his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals this season, moved to the Czech Republic at an early age to be able to play hockey and develop his skills as that was nearly impossible “down under”. Or Dutch forward Daniel Sprong, who made the leap from junior hockey to the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an 18 year-old back in 2015. He and his family moved from the Netherlands to Canada for him to be able to become an NHL player. A move that seems to be paying off.
Liam Kirk will probably have to do the same if he is to have a future in the NHL, but the 18 year-old draft eligible forward from Rotherham in the UK have not left his Sheffield Steelers just yet. In fact, the British team has helped him become a player that NHL scouts are actually traveling to England to see. And that is not a small feat considering that British hockey historically haven’t produced too many players with that kind of appeal.
Kirk, who is 6’2 but only weighs around 160 pounds, is slated to be drafted in Dallas this summer after spending this season with the Steelers. At this time, the lanky forward has nine goals and 15 points in 50 games in the EIHL.
In an interview with Swedish website hockeysverige.se‘s reporter Henrik Skoglund, Kirk talks about the excitement he feels being mentioned in draft talks.
“It’s a thrill. It’s pretty unusual to get the chance to play in the NHL when you are from Great Britain”, he told Skoglund last week. “I follow my dream, work hard in every practice trying to get better to make it happen.”
So why hockey in Great Britain, where soccer is king?
“I think I’ve always had a special feeling for hockey. My parents told me that it came very natural for me and that I never had to take many skating lessons. I found the right feeling pretty much right away”, he explained to Skoglund.
If Kirk would make it to the NHL one day, he’d be pretty unique. There haven’t been too many English players in the NHL over the years. EliteProspects.com have six of them listed in the database . Five played in the league before the 1950’s while all six have in common that they migrated to Canada during their childhoods.
The interest in the Steelers’ forward has grown exponentially during the season, assistant coach Jerry Andersson told hockeysverige.se.
“I think we’ve had 12-15 NHL scouts visit us. Almost everyone knows who he is today”, Andersson said while applauding Liam Kirk’s development. “He’s been trending upwards for the last three months. In September, I wondered if he had enough desire to play, but then something happened. Today, I’d say he’d be a top player in the Swedish junior league. He’s still a bit too thin, but that will sort itself out in time.”
Although the Steelers have given Liam Kirk’s development a boost, it would seem as if his next move is going to be abroad.
“He plays on pretty good level here, which I think has helped his development enormously. If he hadn’t been with us, I don’t think he would have been close to be drafted”, Steelers’ head coach Paul Thompson told hockeysverige.se.
“He’ll probably play in the CHL next season. I think that’s what he’s looking at. It would probably give him more responsibility (to play there) and help him grow even more.”
Liam Kirk confirms that he’ll probably go overseas to play in Canada, but also points out that Sweden could be an option.
“That’s something I’ve been looking at. Gunnar Svensson (agent and father of Swedish NHL forward Magnus Pääjärvi) called a while ago and mentioned the possibility of going to Sweden to play on a junior team and maybe practice with an SHL team. So Sweden is also a possibility”, Kirk said.