Justin Kirkland, who played for the Cincinnati Cyclones in 2016-17, made his NHL debut Tuesday night for the Anaheim Ducks while playing the Los Angeles Kings.
Kirkland, 26, becomes the 28th player in Cyclones history that has gone on to debut in the National Hockey League. The Camrose, Alberta native was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2014 NHL Draft, but began his professional career in Cincinnati, debuting for the Cyclones October 18, 2016. On December 15 on that year, Kirkland scored his first professional goal, which served as the game-winning-goal in a 3-1 Cyclones victory over Indy. Overall, Kirkland played in four games for Cincinnati from October-December 2016, tallying one goal and one assist.
After spending parts of his rookie season in The Queen City, Kirkland has gone on to become a mainstay in the AHL for Milwaukee, Stockton, and San Diego, skating in 352 games over the last seven seasons. The 6'3" forward experienced his best professional season to date in 2021-22, collecting 25 goals as part of a 48-point campaign with the Stockton Heat. Kirkland went on to post 12 points in 13 playoff games.
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