NHL draft 2018: Liam Kirk first English born and trained player to be selected

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Standard Sport23 June 2018

Great Britain's Liam Kirk has made history after being selected by the Arizona Coyotes with the 189th pick of the 2018 NHL draft.

The 18-year-old Sheffield Steelers forward becomes the first English born and trained player selected in NHL draft history after being picked in the final round on Saturday in Dallas, Texas.

Should he make an appearance in the NHL during his career, he would be the first British born and trained player to do so.

Kirk scored nine goals for the Steelers in the Elite League last season before helping Great Britain to World Championship gold in Division 1 Group A in April, securing the country's return to the elite level of ice hockey for the first time since 1994.

Kirk, from Maltby in Yorkshire, follows in the footsteps of Scottish pair Tony Hand and Colin Shields in being selected in the annual draft.

Hand was chosen by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986 while Shields was picked by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2000, but neither went on to play a game in the NHL.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.