To call Justin Kirkland’s 2021–22 season an “improvement” would be a massive understatement.
The 25-year-old winger emerged as an offensive cornerstone for the 45–16–7 Stockton Heat this year, finishing third on the team — only behind top-line forwards Matthew Phillips and Jakob Pelletier — with 25 goals in 66 games. His 48 points ranked fourth behind Phillips, Pelletier, and Glenn Gawdin.
Prior to this season, Kirkland had scored just 33 goals in his entire 267-game American Hockey League career. Only eight of those goals came in the 69 games he played during his first two campaigns with the Heat.