Held in Czech Republic until 26 May, Great Britain skaters will compete against the best teams in the world for the fourth time in five years.
That in itself is a remarkable feat considering Team GB had languished in the lower divisions for exactly a quarter of a century between 1994 and 2019.
The first breakthrough in this new era actually came in 2017 before Kirk had made his debut back when Britain beat Croatia (4-2), Estonia (5-1), Lithuania (5-2), Netherlands (14-0), and Japan (4-0) to gain promotion from the third tier.
One year later, like London buses, a second successive gold medal arrived after victories against Slovenia (3-1), Poland (5-3) and Italy (4-3) set up a tie on the last night against hosts Hungary, from which Britain needed to force overtime for at least a point.
Trailing 3-2 with 15 seconds of regular time remaining, Robert Farmer scrambled in an equaliser - and, for good measure, GB then won the shootout after a goalless period of overtime.
In 2019, Team GB at times endured a tough baptism of fire in the top division in Slovakia, suffering notable thrashings against the hosts (1-7), Canada (0-8) and Denmark (0-9).
But France were also without a win ahead of what became a decider in the final round of preliminary fixtures.
A tight opening period was shaded by Team GB. In the second period, though, the tie shifted decidedly in favour of the French as, devastatingly, they scored three times in four minutes and one second of play.
Two of the goals came just six seconds apart - and a previously even game had taken on a very uneven score.
Yet, remarkably, the British team kept their nerve, and began to dominate. First, Robert Dowd finished neatly from a pass by Ben O'Connor - then, three minutes later, Hammond reduced the lead down to one after O'Connor's shot had been parried.
By then, the momentum switch was obvious - and, with 14 minutes still to go, Farmer found another vital goal in his locker.
Neither team could find a winner in regulation time - but, in overtime, skipper Jonathan Phillips held off some close attention down the left and found Ben Davies in front of the net.
Davies made no mistake - and Team GB were going to Switzerland in 2020 - or so they thought.
Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived putting the whole planet, and not just the ice hockey world, on hold.
The effects were still being felt in 2021, of course - and GB were able to play in the World Championship without fear of being relegated with all of the lower divisions cancelled.
As a matter of fact, though, Britain would have stayed up in any case with their 4-3 win over Belarus - and they had improved notably on their 2019 performance, scoring more goals and conceding far fewer.
In particular, Kirk starred throughout, scoring seven goals which, along with his two assists, led to him being named among the tournament all-star players.
However, the spectre of relegation returned in 2022 - and Britain entered the Championship with a forward line truly ravaged by injury.
Kirk, Hammond and Ollie Betteridge were all ruled out - so it was no surprise that Britain could not stand the heat as they slumped to the bottom of the overall top division standings following seven defeats out of seven, six of them coming in regular time.
Nevertheless, Pete Russell's men refused to feel too sorry for themselves - and, had the advantage of home ice for the Division 1A campaign at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham in spring last year.
There, they regained their seat at the very top table by beating South Korea (4-0), Poland (5-4 in overtime), Lithuania (3-0), Romania (7-0), and - in a decider - Italy (5-3).
Mere survival again is the order of the day this time then - and frankly those hopes will be placed heavily upon the talented young shoulders of Kirk.
The 24-year-old left wing forward from Maltby in North Yorkshire became the first player born and trained in England to be selected by an NHL team when he was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in 2018.
Having most recently plied his trade at HC Litvinov on the Czech-German border in the Czech Extraliga, Kirk should feel somewhat at home in Prague.
Meanwhile, he will be supported in attack by the likes of Cade Neilson, Dowd, Davies, Betteridge and Brett Perlini.
In defence, Team GB strongly favours experience with Mark Richardson, David Phillips, Evan Mosey and O'Connor all well beyond the age of 30.
And if they lack the legs to see out a shift, head coach Russell will need his goalkeepers, first-choice Ben Bowns and back-up Jackson Whistle, to perform at the top of their game - even in the more winnable matches against 12th-ranked Norway and 16th-ranked Austria.
So, this tournament is expected to be an uphill struggle as ever. Additionally, Britain's form heading into the main event could have been better.
Back-to-back wins over Poland were tarnished by the concession of late goals in both matches, the second of which forced GB to penalty shots - while the latest international against Kazakhstan ended in a 5-2 defeat.
Britain also face a hideous start with ties against the top two in the world rankings - Canada and Finland - on the first weekend.
Russell must hope the confidence of his squad is not too damaged by their opening foray ahead of matches against Switzerland, Denmark and Czech Republic - and the vital last two of the preliminary stage against Norway and Austria.
Nevertheless, squad togetherness has been a feature throughout Russell's 10-year tenure in charge - and that, along with Kirk obvious sparkling quality, might just be enough for Great Britain to get over the line once more.
TEAM GB SQUAD
Head coach Pete Russell
Netminders Ben Bowns (Cardiff Devils) - Lucas Brine (Dundee Stars) - Jackson Whistle (Belfast Giants)
Defence Josh Batch (Cardiff Devils) - Nathanael Halbert (HC Innsbruck) - Sam Jones (Sheffield Steelers) - Evan Mosey (Cardiff Devils) - Ben O'Connor (Guildford Flames) - David Phillips (Belfast Giants) - Mark Richardson (Cardiff Devils) - Sam Ruopp (Lausitzer Fuechse) - Josh Tetlow (Nottingham Panthers)
Forwards Ollie Betteridge (Nottingham Panthers) - Cam Critchlow (Manchester Storm) - Johnny Curran (Coventry Blaze) - Ben Davies (Cardiff Devils) - Robert Dowd (c) (Sheffield Steelers) - Sam Duggan (Cardiff Devils) - Liam Kirk (HC Litvinov) - Robert Lachowicz (Glasgow Clan) - Ben Lake (Belfast Giants) - Cade Neilson (Alaska Nanooks) - Sean Norris (Belfast Giants) - Brett Perlini (Saale Bulls) - Cole Shudra (Sheffield Steelers)
TEAM GB FIXTURES AND RESULTS
| Score | Periods | Team GB goals | Team GB assists | |||
| Sat 11-May | 11:20 | CANADA | L2-4 | (1-1, 0-3, 1-0) | Kirk (PP) O'Connor | Mosey, Lake Kirk, Betteridge |
| Sun 12-May | 11:20 | FINLAND | L0-8 | (0-1, 0-5, 0-2) | ||
| Wed 15-May | 19:20 | SWITZERLAND | L0-3 | (0-2, 0-1, 0-0) | ||
| Fri 17-May | 15:20 | DENMARK | L3-4 | (2-2, 1-1, 0-1) | Kirk Neilson Halbert | Curran, Ruopp Mosey, Lake Lachowicz, Perlini |
| Sat 18-May | 19:20 | CZECH REPUBLIC | L1-4 | (0-2, 1-2, 0-0) | Mosey (PP) | Kirk, O'Connor |
| Mon 20-May | 15:20 | NORWAY | L2-5 | (0-3, 1-1, 1-1) | Perlini Betteridge | Dowd, O'Connor Lake, Mosey |
| Tue 21-May | 11:20 | AUSTRIA | W4-2 | (0-0, 1-1, 3-1) | O'Connor (PP) Perlini (PP) Mosey Dowd | Lake Dowd, O'Connor Duggan, Tetlow Perlini |
TEAM GB PLAYER POINTS
2+3 Evan Mosey
2+3 Ben O'Connor
2+2 Liam Kirk
2+2 Brett Perlini
1+2 Robert Dowd
1+1 Ollie Betteridge1+0 Nathanael Halbert
1+0 Cade Neilson
0+4 Ben Lake
0+1 Johnny Curran
0+1 Sam Duggan
1+0 Cade Neilson
0+4 Ben Lake
0+1 Johnny Curran
0+1 Sam Duggan
0+1 Robert Lachowicz
0+1 Sam Ruopp
0+1 Sam Ruopp
0+1 Josh Tetlow
TOURNAMENT FIXTURES AND RESULTS
| Date | Time | GROUP A | O2 Arena, Prague | Periods | |
| 10-May | 15:20 | SWITZERLAND | 5-2 | NORWAY | (1-1, 3-0, 1-1) |
| 10-May | 19:20 | CZECH REPUBLIC | 1-0 GWS | FINLAND | (0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0 OT) |
| 11-May | 11:20 | GREAT BRITAIN | 2-4 | CANADA | (1-1, 0-3, 1-0) |
| 11-May | 15:20 | AUSTRIA | 1-5 | DENMARK | (1-2, 0-1, 0-2) |
| 11-May | 19:20 | NORWAY | 3-6 | CZECH REPUBLIC | (3-2, 0-1, 0-3) |
| 12-May | 11:20 | FINLAND | 8-0 | GREAT BRITAIN | (1-0, 5-0, 2-0) |
| 12-May | 15:20 | DENMARK | 1-5 | CANADA | (0-2, 1-0, 0-3) |
| 12-May | 19:20 | AUSTRIA | 5-6 | SWITZERLAND | (2-1, 2-3, 1-2) |
| 13-May | 15:20 | NORWAY | 1-4 | FINLAND | (0-2, 1-2, 0-0) |
| 13-May | 19:20 | SWITZERLAND | 2-1 GWS | CZECH REPUBLIC | (1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-0 OT) |
| 14-May | 15:20 | DENMARK | 0-2 | NORWAY | (0-0, 0-1, 0-1) |
| 14-May | 19:20 | CANADA | 7-6 OT | AUSTRIA | (3-1, 3-0, 0-5, 1-0 OT) |
| 15-May | 15:20 | CZECH REPUBLIC | 7-4 | DENMARK | (1-1, 2-1, 4-2) |
| 15-May | 19:20 | SWITZERLAND | 3-0 | GREAT BRITAIN | (2-0, 1-0, 0-0) |
| 16-May | 15:20 | FINLAND | 2-3 | AUSTRIA | (2-0, 0-1, 0-2) |
| 16-May | 19:20 | CANADA | 4-1 | NORWAY | (1-0, 1-0, 2-1) |
| 17-May | 15:20 | GREAT BRITAIN | 3-4 | DENMARK | (2-2, 1-1, 0-1) |
| 17-May | 19:20 | CZECH REPUBLIC | 4-0 | AUSTRIA | (1-0, 2-0, 1-0) |
| 18-May | 11:20 | DENMARK | 0-8 | SWITZERLAND | (0-2, 0-3, 0-3) |
| 18-May | 15:20 | CANADA | 5-3 | FINLAND | (2-2, 1-1, 2-0) |
| 18-May | 19:20 | CZECH REPUBLIC | 4-1 | GREAT BRITAIN | (2-0, 2-1, 0-0) |
| 19-May | 15:20 | NORWAY | 1-4 | AUSTRIA | (0-0, 0-3, 1-1) |
| 19-May | 19:20 | SWITZERLAND | 2-3 | CANADA | (1-1, 1-2, 0-0) |
| 20-May | 15:20 | GREAT BRITAIN | 2-5 | NORWAY | (0-3, 1-1, 1-1) |
| 20-May | 19:20 | FINLAND | 3-1 | DENMARK | (0-0, 0-0, 3-1) |
| 21-May | 11:20 | AUSTRIA | 2-4 | GREAT BRITAIN | (0-0, 1-1, 1-3) |
| 21-May | 15:20 | CANADA | 4-3 OT | CZECH REPUBLIC | (0-0, 0-0, 3-3, 1-0 OT) |
| 21-May | 19:20 | FINLAND | 1-3 | SWITZERLAND | (0-0, 1-2, 0-1) |
| Date | Time | GROUP B | Ostravar Arena, Ostrava | Periods | |
| 10-May | 15:20 | SLOVAKIA | 4-6 | GERMANY | (0-0, 2-3, 2-3) |
| 10-May | 19:20 | SWEDEN | 5-2 | UNITED STATES | (1-0, 2-1, 2-1) |
| 11-May | 11:20 | FRANCE | 1-3 | KAZAKHSTAN | (1-2, 0-1, 0-0) |
| 11-May | 15:20 | POLAND | 4-5 OT | LATVIA | (1-0, 1-1, 2-3, 0-1 OT) |
| 11-May | 19:20 | UNITED STATES | 6-1 | GERMANY | (2-0, 2-1, 2-0) |
| 12-May | 11:20 | SLOVAKIA | 6-2 | KAZAKHSTAN | (3-0, 1-1, 2-1) |
| 12-May | 15:20 | LATVIA | 3-2 OT | FRANCE | (0-1, 0-0, 2-1, 1-0 OT) |
| 12-May | 19:20 | SWEDEN | 5-1 | POLAND | (2-0, 1-0, 2-1) |
| 13-May | 15:20 | UNITED STATES | 4-5 OT | SLOVAKIA | (0-2, 1-2, 3-0, 0-1 OT) |
| 13-May | 19:20 | GERMANY | 1-6 | SWEDEN | (0-3, 0-2, 1-1) |
| 14-May | 15:20 | KAZAKHSTAN | 0-2 | LATVIA | (0-0, 0-2, 0-0) |
| 14-May | 19:20 | POLAND | 2-4 | FRANCE | (0-2, 2-2, 0-0) |
| 15-May | 15:20 | GERMANY | 8-1 | LATVIA | (2-0, 5-1, 1-0) |
| 15-May | 19:20 | SLOVAKIA | 4-0 | POLAND | (2-0, 0-0, 2-0) |
| 16-May | 15:20 | KAZAKHSTAN | 1-3 | SWEDEN | (0-1, 0-1, 1-1) |
| 16-May | 19:20 | UNITED STATES | 5-0 | FRANCE | (4-0, 0-0, 1-0) |
| 17-May | 15:20 | GERMANY | 8-2 | KAZAKHSTAN | (2-1, 3-0, 3-1) |
| 17-May | 19:20 | POLAND | 1-4 | UNITED STATES | (0-0, 0-2, 1-2) |
| 18-May | 11:20 | LATVIA | 2-7 | SWEDEN | (0-2, 2-4, 0-1) |
| 18-May | 15:20 | GERMANY | 4-2 | POLAND | (0-0, 2-0, 2-2) |
| 18-May | 19:20 | FRANCE | 2-4 | SLOVAKIA | (0-1, 1-2, 1-1) |
| 19-May | 15:20 | UNITED STATES | 10-1 | KAZAKHSTAN | (4-0, 3-0, 3-1) |
| 19-May | 19:20 | SLOVAKIA | 2-3 GWS | LATVIA | (0-1, 0-0, 2-1, 0-0 OT) |
| 20-May | 15:20 | SWEDEN | 3-1 | FRANCE | (0-0, 1-1, 2-0) |
| 20-May | 19:20 | KAZAKHSTAN | 3-1 | POLAND | (1-1, 0-0, 2-0) |
| 21-May | 11:20 | FRANCE | 3-6 | GERMANY | (1-1, 2-3, 0-2) |
| 21-May | 15:20 | LATVIA | 3-6 | UNITED STATES | (0-2, 1-1, 2-3) |
| 21-May | 19:20 | SWEDEN | 6-1 | SLOVAKIA | (1-0, 3-0, 2-1) |
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