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A SENSE OF FREEDOM

Coyotes’ Liam Kirk loves to get away on the ice

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski “My brother played,” he says. “He’s Liam Kirk misses his home country of England, his girlfriend, Nando’s Peri-Peri Chicken and the familiarity of his hometown, but he’s fi ve years old than me. My mom and dad used to watch the Steelers. ey loved it as fans. My brother is important to me. I did what he did and fell in love with the game.” From there, he crossed the pond to ready to start the season with the Arizona play for the Peterborough (Canada) Coyotes. Petes, best known for producing Wayne

Drafted 189th overall in 2018 by Gretzky. the Arizona Coyotes, Kirk is the fi rst “ e AHL is the league right below it,” English-born and -trained player to sign says Kirk, referencing the Peterborough an NHL contract. On June 18, he inked Petes’ league. “It’s a feeder system with a three-year entry-level contract with the feeder teams. Since I got drafted, I’ve ’Yotes. come over here and adapted my game to

Inspired to play hockey by his brother, more of a North American-type style of Jonathan, in Maltby, England, Kirk hockey. has been chasing the NHL dream since “It would have been nice to do that last his debut on the ice with the Sheffi eld year, but I couldn’t because of COVID. Steelers. It’s good to get back and be in Arizona.”

e Coyotes start their season away, at Columbus on October 14, and head home for the Gila River Arena’s fi rst game of the season against St. Louis on October 18.

Kirk arrived in Glendale as part of the new wave of Coyotes players. Veterans like Darcy Kuemper, Oliver EkmanLarsson and Conor Garland were traded away for younger players.

Kirk sees the benefi t in that.

“It’s defi nitely nice to know you’re not the only one who’s new to the situation, the league and the team,” Kirk says. “I can turn to the guys who have been there before for advice. It’s nice to go through it with people who are a similar age.”

On the Coyotes, Kirk has bonded with Mitch Eliot, the son of former LA Kings and Detroit Red Wings star Darren Eliot. e two may live together this season.

Besides watching movies and eating out with friends and his girlfriend, Alisha, back home, Kirk enjoys the freedom of hockey.

“When you’re out there for one or two hours on the ice, you’re away from everything else that’s going on in the world,” Kirk says. “You’re in your own little hockey environment. e game is so fun, too. ere are so many passionate fans.

“It’s especially fun to skate hard in front of a packed arena. ere’s no better feeling than playing this game and having success with it.” e 21-year-old forward admits he still has a lot to learn, but he’s looking up to players like Jakob Chychrun, Christian Fischer, Clayton Keller and Phil Kessel to learn.

“I want to become a regular NHL player,” he says. “I like to produce off ense and give great scoring chances not only for myself but my teammates. at’s something I’d like to translate to an NHL level.”