The Arizona Coyotes announced in a press release Wednesday that they have signed British forward Liam Kirk to a three-year entry-level contract.
The 21-year-old was the first player born and trained in England to be drafted when the Coyotes selected him 189th overall in the seventh round of the 2018 draft.
Arizona agreed to the deal with Kirk on June 18, according to his agent and Ice Hockey UK, but the Coyotes made it official Wednesday afternoon.
“We are very pleased to sign Liam to an entry-level contract,” said GM Bill Armstrong in the release. “Liam played extremely well at the World Championships in Latvia and has earned this contract. He’s a goal scorer with a great work ethic and he is very focused on realizing his dream of one day playing in the NHL. We look forward to watching him continue to develop.”
The forward most recently played for Great Britain in the 2021 IIHF World Championship in Lativa, where he recorded 7-2-9 in seven games, leading the team in goals and points.
Kirk totaled 47-50-97 with a plus-23 rating and 51 PIM in 110 OHL games over two seasons with Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League.