Justin Kirkland

Justin Kirkland (born August 2, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL), while under contract for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Justin Kirkland
Born (1996-08-02) August 2, 1996
Camrose, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Anaheim Ducks
San Diego Gulls (AHL)
NHL Draft 62nd overall, 2014
Nashville Predators
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

After playing two years of bantam triple-A level hockey for the Camrose Kodiaks U15 AAA team of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League, Kirkland was selected by the Kelowna Rockets in the fifth round, 103rd overall, of the 2011 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.[1] After playing from 2011 to 2013 in Saskatchewan at the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame,[2] Kirkland cracked the Rockets' roster full-time in the 2013–14 season and finished eighth in team scoring with 48 points in 68 games.

Impressed by his WHL rookie season, the Nashville Predators selected Kirkland in the third round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, 62nd overall. Kirkland scored 51 points in 50 games in the 2014–15 WHL season and helped the Rockets capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions. Following another successful year in 2015–16, Kirkland signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Predators on May 16, 2016.[3]

Kirkland spent four games with the Predators' then-ECHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones, in 2016–17; however, he largely played in the American Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals. He spent the following two seasons exclusively with the Admirals with his best single-season output — nine goals and 30 points — coming in 2018–19, his final year in the Predators' organization. A restricted free-agent in the summer of 2019, Kirkland was not issued a qualifying offer by the Predators and became an unrestricted free-agent eligible to sign with any NHL team.[4]

On July 1, 2019, Kirkland signed a one-year contract with the Calgary Flames, reuniting him with Rockets teammate Dillon Dubé. Kirkland was assigned to the Flames' AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, for the 2019–20 season.[5] He had his best offensive season as a professional, scoring six goals and 28 points in 53 games, and was re-signed by the Flames to another one-year deal on September 28, 2020.[6]

As a free agent from the Flames, Kirkland signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Anaheim Ducks on July 14, 2022.[7]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Kelowna Rockets WHL 6 2 0 2 2 6 0 1 1 0
2013–14 Kelowna Rockets WHL 68 17 31 48 40 14 5 5 10 20
2014–15 Kelowna Rockets WHL 50 21 30 51 25 9 3 2 5 0
2015–16 Kelowna Rockets WHL 69 31 36 67 69 18 11 4 15 15
2016–17 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 56 9 12 21 34 3 0 2 2 4
2016–17 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 4 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
2017–18 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 67 7 11 18 19 — — — — —
2018–19 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 75 9 21 30 58 5 1 3 4 8
2019–20 Stockton Heat AHL 53 6 22 28 44 — — — — —
2020–21 Stockton Heat AHL 16 2 5 7 16 — — — — —
2021–22 Stockton Heat AHL 66 25 23 48 75 13 7 5 12 14
2022–23 San Diego Gulls AHL 32 9 9 18 16 — — — — —
2022–23 Anaheim Ducks NHL 7 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 7 0 0 0 0 — — — — —

Awards and honours
Award Year Ref
WHL
Ed Chynoweth Cup 2015 [1]

References
  1. "Kirkland, Justin | 2016 NHL Draft Prospects". NHL.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "Justin Kirkland – Elite Prospects". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Justin Kirkland - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps". CapFriendly. Retrieved October 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Lee, Gavin (June 25, 2019). "List Of Players Not Receiving A 2019 Qualifying Offer". Pro Hockey Rumors. Retrieved October 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. "Flames sign forward Justin Kirkland to one-year contract". Sportsnet. July 2, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "FLAMES RE-SIGN JUSTIN KIRKLAND". CalgaryFlames.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Ducks sign De Leo, Gawdin, Kirkland, Strand and White to contracts". Anaheim Ducks. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
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