The 2022-23 campaign was supposed to be a fresh slate and a fantastic opportunity for Liam Kirk.

Not only to establish himself in the American Hockey League but also to push his standing amongst the plethora of prospects within the Arizona organisation.

Not for the first time, the Arizona Coyotes have not seen to do the best by their GB prospect.

After doing everything asked of him in camp and prospect games, Kirk was a healthy scratch to begin the season.

One game turned into missing out on the first weekend.

October passed without a chance to dress.

Kirk wasn’t called upon until the eleventh game of the campaign.

Tucson performed incredibly poorly in this outing and was beaten 4-1 with ease by Coachella Valley Firebirds.

I offered my thoughts on Liam’s performance in a Twitter thread compiled below.

Tucson was out-shot 38-21 and outplayed after wasting two early power plays, including a 5-on-3.

Liam did not receive regular shifts and was juggled into lines at times throughout the game

He completed eight of nine passes and only just failed to connect on one slot pass attempt with a team-mate letting him down on that occasion.

His two recorded shots were one medium and one high danger scorings chances.

Both were in the third period as Tucson pushed back.

When you consider Tucson generated a combined 13 shots of the medium/high danger variety, the fact that Liam had two of those in a game he didn’t feature in is a credit.

Liam was tabbed for a hooking penalty in the opening frame. It was a little tenuous but the officials were a little whistle happy at times.

For his first game this season and first outing in a year, I thought there were a lot of positives to take and encouragement for what was to follow.

What was to follow?

Continued absence from the team.

I had been informed Kirk was a healthy scratch, a fact that was confirmed on Tucson broadcasts.

This is despite the Roadrunners being one of the worst clubs in the league in delivering team news and player information to those attempting to follow along. Try getting an answer to a simple question on any social network from Tucson and you’ll face a wall of silence.

At the time of writing, Tucson has played fourteen games, with Kirk dressed for just one of those.

A confusing situation when you consider Liam is an NHL prospect with a truncated development journey to this point and is in dire need of regular ice time.

It’s even more puzzling when you consider Tucson’s performances have been very Jekyll and Hyde this season.

They have delivered some beatdowns to some teams but also received some hidings, including most recently a 6-0 thumping courtesy of San Jose.

Competition for places? Far from it, apparently.

There are six forwards on AHL deals who have garnered far greater ice time and opportunity than Kirk this season.

We will exclude Adam Cracknell as he is the team’s captain, a very experienced professional and a high-end player at this level. The comparison would not be fair.

Travis Barron, Hudson Elynuik, Tyson Empey and Cameron Hebig have played a combined 46 games between them.

Registering just three points apiece (5G/7A), none of them is in the team’s top ten scorers.

They have also combined for a total of 73 penalty minutes. Take from that what you will.

The sixth player is highly rated (within the organisation) Colin Thiesen, whose opportunities have consisted of five games.

As of Monday, November 21, Liam Kirk has been reassigned to the ECHL.

With so many NHL teams now happy to send their first or second-year prospects to the third tier of professional hockey in North America, it’s a debacle as to why it’s taken so long to make this decision on Kirk’s development.

Arizona’s ECHL affiliate is on the other side of the country in the shape of the Atlanta Gladiators.

If you’re a fan in the UK, you might know them as the team that Belfast and Team GB forward Scott Conway has suited up for in the past.

The Gladiators compete in the highly competitive South Division, which houses some of the best teams in the league.

South Carolina Stingrays – Kelly Cup Finalists in three of the last seven seasons

Florida Everblades – The reigning Kelly Cup Champions and finalists in 2018.

Savannah Ghost Pirates – Has made an excellent start in their inaugural season, losing just two of eleven games in regulation.

Jacksonville Icemen – Won forty games last season.

Greenville Swamp Rabbits – Andrew Lord is GM and HC. The team has made playoffs last two seasons

Orlando Solar Bears – The weak link in the division the past three campaigns but previous to that was always one of the top-end teams.

Formerly the affiliate of Boston and Ottawa, Atlanta hasn’t enjoyed much success in its recent history.

Forty-three wins last year culminated in a first-round playoff sweep by Jacksonville.

Previous to that the club missed out on the playoffs in six of the previous seven campaigns.

The 2022-23 season has been far from free-flowing for the gladiators.

With a 6-4-1- record the team sits fourth in their division and eighth in the Eastern Conference.

So what of Atlanta’s roster?

Goaltender David Tendick will be a familiar face for Kirk and he is the only Arizona prospect on the team.

On-loan from the New York Islanders, Bode Wilde is the only other NHL prospect on the roster.

Forwards Kaid Oliver and Reece Vitelli, defenseman Noah Laaouan and goaltender Tyler Parks make up the contingent on loan from Tucson.

Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Pyle has assembled a team with plenty of experience, as shown by an average roster age of over twenty-six.

Kirk becomes the twelfth forward on the roster.

I expect that he would immediately slot into the team’s top six.

Atlanta is about to embark upon a brutal schedule, though this is a regular occurrence in the ECHL.

A homestand starting with a three-on-three beginning against Savannah on Thursday before two games versus South Carolina on Friday and Saturday.

The Gladiators play a single game against Savannah on Wednesday before heading on the road. A doubleheader against Greenville on the first weekend of December.

A total of six games in ten days.

The most important thing, above all else, is that Liam Kirk is finally going to receive some playing time. 

The struggles of playing in the ECHL including long trips are unlikely to phase someone who has had to battle to get to this point and faced nothing but adversity during his professional career.

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