Raygan Kirk (born March 11, 2001) is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She played college ice hockey at Robert Morris and Ohio State. She was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2024 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament.
| Raygan Kirk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
March 11, 2001 Ste. Anne, Manitoba | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| PWHL team | Toronto Sceptres | ||
Early life
editKirk is the daughter of Brad and Nancy Kirk. She attended Collège Lorette Collegiate in Lorette, Manitoba.[1] She was named the Manitoba Chicken Junior Female Athlete of the Year in 2019.[2]
Playing career
editCollege
editKirk began her collegiate career for Robert Morris during the 2019–20 season. During her freshman year, she appeared in 26 games, with 24 starts, and posted a 15–8–1 record, with a 2.09 goals against average (GAA) and .924 save percentage. She also recorded four shutouts, which tied for most in the conference. Following the season she was named to the CHA All-Rookie team.[3] During the 2020–21 season, in her sophomore year, she posted a 8–5–1 record, with a 1.91 GAA and .939 save percentage, in a season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
On May 26, 2021, Robert Morris University announced they were disbanding both men's and women's ice hockey programs.[4] In June 2021, Kirk transferred to Ohio State.[5] During the 2021–22 season, in her junior year, she appeared in four games and posted a 4–0–0 record, with a 1.37 GAA and .881 save percentage.[1] She served as a backup to starting goaltender Andrea Brändli.[6] She helped lead the Buckeyes to their first NCAA women's ice hockey tournament championship in 2022.[7][8]
During the 2022–23 season, in her senior year, she appeared in eleven games and posted an 8–2–1 record, with a 2.03 GAA and .912 save percentage.[1] During the 2023–24 season, in her graduate year, she appeared in 24 games and posted a 22–2–0 record, with a 1.05 GAA, a .945 save percentage, and ten shutouts. Following an outstanding season, she was named a finalist for the Goalie of the Year award.[9] She helped lead the Buckeyes to their second NCAA women's ice hockey tournament championship in 2024.[10] During the championship game against Wisconsin she posted a 27 save shutout and was subsequently named tournament Most Outstanding Player.[11]
Professional
editOn June 10, 2024, Kirk was drafted in the seventh round, 42nd overall, by the Toronto Sceptres in the 2024 PWHL draft.[12][13] On June 25, 2024, she signed a two-year contract with Toronto.[14][15]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World U18 Championships | ||
| 2019 Japan | ||
Kirk represented Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship and won a gold medal.[16] During the gold medal game against the United States she recorded 25 saves in the win and was subsequently named tournament MVP.[17]
Career statistics
edit| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Robert Morris University | CHA | 26 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1,463 | 51 | 4 | 2.09 | .924 | |
| 2020–21 | Robert Morris University | CHA | 16 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 879 | 28 | 3 | 1.91 | .939 | |
| 2021–22 | Ohio State University | WCHA | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 219 | 5 | 0 | 1.37 | .881 | |
| 2022–23 | Ohio State University | WCHA | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 648 | 22 | 2 | 2.03 | .912 | |
| 2023–24 | Ohio State University | WCHA | 24 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 1,422 | 25 | 10 | 1.05 | .945 | |
| NCAA totals | 81 | 55 | 17 | 3 | 4,631 | 131 | 19 | 1.72 | .929 | |||
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Raygan Kirk Bio". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "2019 Night of Champions Award Winners". sportmanitoba.ca. April 2, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "Raygan Kirk". rmucolonials.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "Robert Morris University Cutting Its NCAA Division I Men's And Women's Ice Hockey Teams". cbsnews.com. May 26, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Krepps, Owen (June 28, 2021). "Trio of former women's hockey players transfer to Ohio State". colonialsportsnetwork.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Murray, Reid (March 25, 2024). "Women's Ice Hockey: Kirk's journey from third-string transfer to national championship hero". The Lantern. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Bill (March 17, 2022). "Ohio State defenseman Sophie Jaques, a Kazmaier finalist, leads Buckeyes into Frozen Four". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Keatley, Josh (March 20, 2022). "Ohio State women's hockey wins national championship". USA Today. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "Kirk Selected as a Finalist for Women's Goalie of the Year Award". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. March 7, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Sawatzky, Mike (March 24, 2024). "Ste. Anne's Kirk backstops OSU to Frozen Four title". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "MVP Kirk leads Buckeyes to NCAA title". Winnipeg Free Press. March 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Dankochik, Cassidy (June 22, 2024). "Ste Anne's Kirk taken with final pick of PWHL draft". The Carillon. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Sawatzky, Mike (June 5, 2024). "Goaltending phenom looks to take game to next level in PWHL". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Kennedy, Ian (June 25, 2024). "PWHL Toronto Signs Ohio State Netminder Raygan Kirk To A Two-Year Deal". The Hockey News. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Dankochik, Cassidy (July 9, 2024). "Kirk signs contract with PWHL Toronto". The Carillon. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "Canada wins gold at 2019 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship". hockeycanada.ca. January 14, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Podnieks, Andrew (January 13, 2019). "Kirk named MVP". IIHF.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com
- Ohio State Buckeyes bio