Firth played Tier II
junior hockey for the
Ottawa Jr. Senators of the
Central Junior Hockey League; in his single season for the team in 1988, he scored 126 points to lead the team. Drafted by the
Kitchener Rangers of the
Ontario Hockey League, he finished third in team scoring with 67 points in 1989, helping the Rangers to a first-place finish after several mediocre seasons. In 1990, he was again third in team scoring with 100 points. The Rangers lost in the league finals to the
Oshawa Generals, and normally would not have gone on to play in the
Memorial Cup tournament, but Cup host and OHL team
Hamilton Dukes had the league's worst record and was replaced in the Memorial Cup by the Rangers. Firth scored 22 points in 17 playoff games as the Rangers surged to the Cup finals, eventually losing in
double overtime in the final match to the Generals, 4–3. His performance led to him being awarded the
George Parsons Trophy for sportsmanship in the Memorial Cup. Firth's third season in Kitchener saw him lead the team with 112 points, and finish sixth in league scoring, after which he was selected in the tenth round of the
1991 NHL Entry Draft by the
Detroit Red Wings. He played his final junior season as an overager for the
North Bay Centennials. Despite injuries that cost him 13 games, Firth finished second in team scoring with 97 points, and added 25 points in the playoffs as the Centennials reached the OHL Finals. ==Professional career==