Raygan Kirk

Raygan Kirk grew up in Ste. Anne, Manitoba, with two hockey bags in the family car — one for goaltending, one for defence. Her brother played goal first, and Kirk followed him into the crease, playing both positions until around seventh or eighth grade, when she committed fully to goaltending. She played her junior hockey with the Eastman Selects in triple-A, skipping prep school and banking on showcase tournaments to attract college interest. The gamble paid off at the Stoney Creek Tournament in Ontario, where Robert Morris University assistant coaches were watching and reached out after the game.

Kirk spent her first two college seasons at RMU, earning a spot on the CHA All-Rookie Team in her freshman year after starting 24 games and winning 15. She then transferred to Ohio State, where her first two seasons behind the Buckeyes' depth chart offered limited game action — four games in her junior year, 11 as a senior with eight wins. Her fifth year of eligibility, however, was a different story entirely. Kirk took over as Ohio State's starter, posting a .945 save percentage across 24 games, and carried that form into the 2024 NCAA Championship. She shut out Wisconsin in the final, was named tournament Most Outstanding Player and to the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team, and finished the season with 22 wins — a new Ohio State program record.

Kirk's international career began earlier, at the 2019 U18 World Championship in Obihiro, Japan, where she started all four games, allowed one goal in the gold-medal game, and took home tournament MVP honours. She was the only player from Manitoba on that roster. She went on to represent Canada at the U22 and development levels before attending her first senior national team camp in the summer of 2024.

Kirk joined the Toronto Sceptres for the 2024–25 PWHL season, making her professional debut in relief before her first start. She wears number 1 and catches left.

On InGoal Radio episode 285, Kirk spoke with host Kevin Woodley about the mental side of goaltending — from the three-pillar framework she built in college to managing the emotions of her final NCAA game and her first PWHL starts ^[1]. She described her pregame mindset, her use of mental skills coaches, and the technical work on her stance that began at her first Hockey Canada camp, in a conversation that also covers her path from Ste. Anne to the PWHL ^[1]. Asked about nerves before big moments, Kirk put it plainly: "If you feel that pressure, that's a privilege. To be in a situation, whether it's national championship game or your first professional game, that's such a privilege to be able to have that pressure and those nerves." ^[1]

InGoal Magazine has covered Raygan Kirk in one podcast appearance.