Great Britain forward Liam Kirk is the talk of the ice hockey world once again as his NHL entry-level contract with Arizona Coyotes hit the headlines around the globe.

The 21-year-old spoke with Sky Sports reporter Matt Ford and the story also featured on the BBC Sport website.

Experienced ice hockey journalist Bob Westerdale covered the story for the Sheffield Star, while writer Mark Rackham – a long-time admirer of Kirk – penned this article for his worldwide hockey blog.

ESPN covered the story on their website along with the Sportsnet website in Canada, as Kirk literally went global again – just three weeks after his heroics at the World Championship in Latvia where he finished as joint-leading goalscorer with seven goals in seven games.

The story broke on Friday morning with a tweet by his agent Dan Milstein and Twitter came alive with excitement for the young lad from Maltby in Rotherham.

Speaking that morning, Kirk said: “I’m looking forward to linking-up with Arizona with an entry-level contract.

“It has always been my dream to play in the NHL so to get this deal with the Coyotes is fantastic. I am a step closer to that dream and I will continue to push myself to reach the elite level.”

GB Head Coach Pete Russell, who gave Kirk his full GB debut and also coached him as Great Britain junior, said: “It’s fantastic news for Liam.

“After an incredible World Championship, he gets an entry-level contract with Arizona in the NHL – it’s amazing.

“His journey is starting again and he’s now got a huge challenge ahead, but he’s a great guy and he has really developed as a player.

“Just think how far he has come in the past few years, especially with that performance at the World Championship. I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s from a lovely family and is a great kid. I’m really excited for him.”

And there was no shortage of organisations, coaches and players wanting to pay tribute to Kirky…

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