The Kansas City Mavericks are an
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team in the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The E ...
. Founded in 2009 as the Missouri Mavericks of the
CHL, the team plays in
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...
, a
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
, at the
Cable Dahmer Arena
Cable Dahmer Arena (formerly, Silverstein Eye Centers Arena and Independence Events Center) is a 5,800-seat multi-purpose arena in Independence, Missouri, United States. It was opened in November 2009. It serves as the home arena and administrat ...
.
History
On April 16, 2009, the
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
announced an expansion team for Independence, to begin play in the 2009–10 season. The new organization teamed up with local newspaper ''
The Examiner'' to hold a name-the-team contest until May 11. The Missouri Mavericks' name, logo, and colors were unveiled on June 24.
On May 29, 2009, it was reported that
Scott Hillman
Scott Hillman (born April 29, 1974) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman. He was most recently the head coach of Frisk Asker in Norway’s Top Men’s Professional Hockey League
Career Player
Hillman was born in LaSalle, Ont ...
would be the Mavericks' first head coach, resigning from his same position with the
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league based in Huntersville, North Carolina, with teams located primarily in the southeastern United States as well as Illinois and Indiana in the mid ...
's
Knoxville Ice Bears
The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Ice Bears have made the playoffs ...
to do so. In his time with the Ice Bears, Hillman led them to two consecutive SPHL President's Cup championships and Coffey Trophies (awarded for the most regular-season points). On November 13, 2009, the team played their home opener before a crowd of 5,760 people at the Independence Events Center.
On September 17, 2011, the Mavericks announced an affiliation agreement with the
Chicago Wolves
The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
for the
2011–12 season. This agreement would be renewed in one-year contracts until 2015.
On May 24, 2012, the Mavericks extended head coach
Scott Hillman
Scott Hillman (born April 29, 1974) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman. He was most recently the head coach of Frisk Asker in Norway’s Top Men’s Professional Hockey League
Career Player
Hillman was born in LaSalle, Ont ...
's contract for two additional years through the
2013–14 season. On July 31, 2012, the Mavericks announced an agreement with
Entercom
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
to have all 66 games for the
2012-13 season broadcast on the radio on
1660 KUDL.
On May 21, 2014, Hillman announced his resignation from the Mavericks and soon after was named as the first head coach for the expansion
Indy Fuel
The Indy Fuel are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2014–15 season. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Fuel play their home games at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum on the Indiana State Fairgrounds. They are a ...
of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The E ...
. In June, the Mavericks hired
Richard Matvichuk
Richard Dorian Matvichuk (born February 5, 1973) is a Canadian former National Hockey League defenseman. He played 14 seasons with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars, and the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League.
Playing career
A ...
as the organization's new coach.
On October 7, 2014, shortly before the 2014–15 Central Hockey League season was set to begin, it was announced that the CHL had ceased operations and the Mavericks, along with the
Allen Americans
The Allen Americans are a professional ice hockey team headquartered at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, which currently plays in the ECHL. The team was founded in 2009 in the Central Hockey League (CHL) where they played ...
,
Brampton Beast
The Brampton Beast were a professional ice hockey team based in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The team originally played in the Central Hockey League for one year during the 2013–14 season prior to the league's folding before joining the ECHL f ...
,
Quad City Mallards
The Quad City Mallards were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa that competed in the International Hockey League, Central Hockey League and ECHL. They were named after the Mallards team ...
,
Rapid City Rush
The Rapid City Rush are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL based in Rapid City, South Dakota, and play their home games at The Monument. The Rush are currently a minor affiliate of the Calgary Flames NHL franchise.
History
On June 2, ...
,
Tulsa Oilers
The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...
and
Wichita Thunder
The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in ...
, were all approved for expansion membership application into the ECHL for the
2014-15 season.
On February 5, 2015, Lamar Hunt Jr., son of
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
' founder
Lamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt (August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American businessman most notable for his promotion of American football, soccer, and tennis in the United States.
He was the principal founder of the American Football League (AFL) and ...
, bought a 100 percent ownership stake in the Missouri Mavericks.
On June 11, 2015, the Mavericks announced they had signed a two-year affiliation deal with the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
. The Mavericks then served as the Islanders' secondary minor league affiliate, behind the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
The Bridgeport Islanders (previously known as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL). They are the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the f ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
.
On June 2, 2016, head coach
Richard Matvichuk
Richard Dorian Matvichuk (born February 5, 1973) is a Canadian former National Hockey League defenseman. He played 14 seasons with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars, and the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League.
Playing career
A ...
resigned after leading the Mavericks for two seasons, a regular season championship, and named ECHL coach of the year in
2015–16. He left the organization to become the head coach of the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
's
Prince George Cougars
The Prince George Cougars are a Canada, Canadian junior ice hockey#Major junior, major junior ice hockey team currently members of the B.C. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Prince George, ...
. He was replaced by John-Scott Dickson, who had played for the team from 2011 to 2015 before joining the coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2015–16. Also, beginning with the 2016–17 season, the Mavericks and
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
entered into a working agreement for cross-promoting hockey in Missouri and Kansas. However, the Islanders/Tigers organization still remained the Mavericks affiliate for player development.
On March 11, 2017, the Missouri Mavericks announced the team would be renamed the Kansas City Mavericks beginning in the
2017–18 season. Also prior to the 2017–18 season, their affiliation with the Islanders ended when that organization affiliated with the expansion
Worcester Railers
The Worcester Railers (also called Worcester Railers HC) are a professional ice hockey team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. The team began play in the 2017–18 ECHL season, and is a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of t ...
. On June 8, 2017, Kansas City affiliated with the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
(NHL) and the
Stockton Heat (AHL).
In his fourth season as head coach, Dickson was fired on January 30, 2020, while the team was in last place in their division. After the season ended, the Mavericks hired
Florida Everblades
The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (N ...
' assistant Tad O'Had as the head coach.
On July 28, 2022, the Mavericks announced a new affiliation with the
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...
and Seattle's AHL affiliate, the
Coachella Valley Firebirds
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional ice hockey expansion team based in Thousand Palms, California, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the Seattle Kra ...
.
Season-by-season records
Players and personnel
Current roster
As of November 23, 2022.
Team captains
* Tyler Fleck, 2009
* Carlyle Lewis, 2009–11
*
Sebastien Thinel, 2011–2015
* Trevor Ludwig, 2015–16
* Andrew Courtney, 2016–17
* Tyler Elbrecht, 2017–18
* Rocco Carzo, 2018–2020
*
Rob Bordson
Rob Bordson (born June 9, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing under contract with the Stavanger Oilers in the Norwegian Eliteserien.
Playing career
Bordson signed a two-year entry level contract with t ...
, 2020–21
*
Lane Scheidl, 2021–22
*
Nick Pastujov, 2022–
Notable alumni
*
Kyle Burroughs
Kyle Burroughs (born July 12, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Burroughs was drafted 196th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2013 NHL ...
*
Ville Husso
Ville Husso (born 6 February 1995) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the St. Louis Blues.
Playing career
Husso started his career in the youth s ...
*
Ross Johnston
*
Maxime Lagacé
*
Jed Ortmeyer
Jed Ortmeyer (born September 3, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild. After his retirement he ...
*
Carter Verhaeghe
Carter Verhaeghe ( ; born August 14, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the third round, 82nd overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Mapl ...
References
External links
Official WebsiteMissouri Mavericks Page on EliteProspects.com
{{Missouri Sports
Independence, Missouri
ECHL teams
Central Hockey League teams
Calgary Flames minor league affiliates
New York Islanders minor league affiliates
Seattle Kraken minor league affiliates
Professional ice hockey teams in Missouri
Sports in the Kansas City metropolitan area
Ice hockey clubs established in 2009
2009 establishments in Missouri
Sports teams in the Kansas City metropolitan area