It was an agonisingly wait until the seventh and final round but Liam Kirk made history by becoming the first English born and trained player to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft.

The Arizona Coyotes chose the Sheffield Steelers forward 189th overall with their last pick of the 2018 draft.
Arizona were one of ten teams rumoured to have spoken to the South Yorkshire native at the NHL combine and haven’t been afraid to make a left-field selections at the draft in previous years.

Kirk follows in the footsteps of fellow Brits Tony Hand and Colin Shields but will hope to fare better than his predecessors who failed to play in a single NHL game.

The NHL is a long way off for the 18 year old right now and the next step in his journey is the CHL Import Draft which takes place on June 28.

If selected in that particular draft, Kirk will have the opportunity to ply his trade against his age-group peers and aim to make a strong impression after playing predominately against men significantly older than him for the past two years in the UK Elite League.

The Arizona Coyotes (previously Phoenix) are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The franchise has had a turbulent existence, have yet to qualify for the playoffs and finished ranked bottom in their division last season after recording just 29 victories.

Arizona Coyotes affiliates:
AHL: Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona)
ECHL: Fort Wayne Komets (Indiana)