The Nashville Predators are known for having the ability to draft talented defensemen and goalies, but forwards have lacked for the most part over the years. While that’s not to say there haven’t been hits, someone like Justin Kirkland, who was drafted in the third round of 2014, didn’t turn into an impact player for the franchise, but didn’t give up the grind.
Kirkland was taken 62nd overall by the Predators and has played in over 400 career AHL games for the affiliates of the Predators, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, and Arizona Coyotes. He has played in just 11 NHL games and scored his first goal of his NHL career 10 years after being drafted.
The 28-year-old spent three full seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals, never getting into a game with the Predators before moving on. His AHL journey took him to the Flames to play for the Stockton Heat for three more seasons before landing in Anaheim and finally getting his shot in the NHL for the Ducks.
After being drafted in 2014, Kirkland made his NHL debut in 2022-23, playing seven games. He didn’t record a point, but after that long grind, he could say he was an NHL player.
He had a stop in Arizona for the following season, playing the majority of his games in the AHL, but getting into two more games in the NHL with the Coyotes.
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Now after all that work, Kirkland made the Flames and has played in two of the team’s three games. He is the fourth line center and it wasn’t only his first career NHL goal, it was his first point.
In the AHL, Kirkland has the ability to score and produce points, but he knows his role for the NHL and what will make him stick. While only having one shot, the 6’3 centerman has seven hits and has averaged nearly 11 minutes of ice time per game. He hardly played more than seven minutes per game throughout his NHL career before this season.
Kirkland had his best season in the AHL for the Flames’ farm team, but that was in 2021-22 and he never got the callup. It is cool to see it come around and it appears as though he’s finally getting a good shot at sticking in the NHL after grinding for 10 years with a decreasing chance it would ever happen.
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