Liam Kirk has turned a star performance with Britain at the ice hockey world championship into a rookie contract with the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL. Britain faced elite competition at the recent tournament in Latvia and Kirk was the tournament’s joint-top goalscorer with Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane of Canada — both with seven in seven games. The Coyotes selected Kirk in the 2018 NHL draft, making him the first player born and trained in England to be drafted. But seventh-round picks usually don’t pan out. But after the world championship the Coyotes rewarded the 21-year-old Kirk with a three-year entry-level contract. He leaves for Arizona later this summer.
