Duluth, GA - The Atlanta Gladiators, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators and the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, announced on Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel that the team has re-signed forward Kirklan Irey for the 2026-27 season.

Irey, 25, made his professional debut with the Gladiators last season and scored 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points in 10 regular season games, and made 1 appearance in the Gladiators Kelly Cup Playoffs series vs South Carolina. He scored his first two professional goals in the same game at Jacksonville on April 11, helping the Gladiators to a 5-4 shootout win.

Irey turned pro and signed with Atlanta after four seasons at Bemidji State University, recording 21 goals and 32 assists for 57 points in 134 career NCAA games. The 5-11, 183-pound forward joined the Gladiators after notching 1 goal and 9 assists in 36 games in his senior season as the captain of the Beavers. His best scoring season of his collegiate career came in 2024-25, in which he scored a career-high 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 38 games. In his sophomore season, Irey helped the Beavers to an NCAA (CCHA) Regular Season Championship. 

Prior to his time at Bemidji State University, the native of Bismark, ND played with the Bismark Bobcats of the NAHL in the 2018-19 season, scoring 6 goals and 12 assists in 51 games. Irey then spent three seasons with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, logging 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points in 148 games from 2019-2022. Irey was the team’s alternate captain in the 2020-21 season and the captain in the 2021-22 season, leading the Musketeers to a Clark Cup Championship in 2022.

“Kirklan came to us late last season and made an immediate impact. He fit into the group seamlessly both on and off the ice,” said Gladiators Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations, Matt Ginn. He praised Irey’s leadership and skillset, saying, “He has worn a letter many times in his career and his natural leadership abilities were easy to see. Kirklan has good feet, is responsible, engaged in battles and gets to the dirty areas. We’re looking forward to watching him take another step this season and excited to have him back in Atlanta.”

Kirklan Irey joins Max Neill, Connor Caponi, Kyle Pow, Anthony Cipollone, Joey Cipollone, Jack Blake, Stephen Calisti, Ryan Nolan, and Ryan Conroy as players who have signed with the Gladiators for the 2026-27 season. 

The Gladiators are announcing player signings LIVE on the Atlanta Gladiators YouTube channel! Subscribe for exclusive content and stay up to date with the latest signings as the 2026-27 roster takes shape with live announcements on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:00 PM EST. 

The season begins on October 17^th at Gas South Arena when the Gladiators host the Norfolk Admirals! Single game tickets are available HERE, or secure your seats with a season ticket package by calling our sales hotline at 770-497-5100! 

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