High-scoring British forward Liam Kirk is moving on to his next challenge

 After a productive season with HC Litvínov in the Czech Extraliga, 24-year-old British forward Liam Kirk is seeking greener pastures, but he does leave with some regret.

“In my career, I have never felt so loved as I did in Litvínov,” Kirk was quoted on the club’s website. “The fans, the whole team, everything was great. It was an incredibly difficult decision, but from a career perspective, this choice makes sense to me. All of Litvínov and all the fans have a special place in my heart. It was a great year.”

Kirk recorded 19 goals and 30 points in 52 regular-season games, then chipped in a team-leading nine goals and 13 points in 13 playoff games. He was part of a general resugence of the Litvínov club, which finished fifth in the regular season and then advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2014-15 – the year they won their first and so-far only championship.

“Liam’s departure is understandably a huge loss,” said Litvínov sports manager Tomáš Vrábel. “Although he came in as top-nine forward, his role was significantly larger.”

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Kirk, a seventh-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2019, played two seasons for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and later split parts of two seasons between the Coyotes’ AHL and ECHL affiliates. He’s also played professionally for the EIHL’s Sheffield Steelers – his hometown team – and had short stints in Sweden and Finland.

Internationally, Kirk has already established himself as Great Britain’s pre-eminant offensive forward, and at the 2021 IIHF World Championship led the entire tournament with seven goals in seven games, earning himself a spot on the All-Star Team.

“We had an eminent interest in keeping him in Litvínov. Aaccording to his agent, our offer was the same as the one he accepted elsewhere,” Vrábal continued. “He still dreams of going overseas and his new club has close ties to the NHL. I would like to thank Liam for what he has done for Litvínov and wish him good luck in the future.”

It is speculated that Kirk’s next destination is German club Eisbären Berlin, which would fit Vrábel’s comments as Die Eisbären are owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which also owns the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, and the two teams often share resources in player development.

In addition to Kirk, Litvínov also announced the departures of defensemen Radim Šalda and Patrik Demel and forward Jindřich Abdul.