Kansas City Mavericks facts for kids
The Kansas City Mavericks are an exciting ice hockey team that plays in the ECHL league. They were first formed in 2009 as the Missouri Mavericks and played in the CHL. The team's home is in Independence, Missouri, which is a city close to Kansas City, Missouri. They play their games at the Cable Dahmer Arena.
Quick facts for kids Kansas City Mavericks |
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| City | Independence, Missouri |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Mountain |
| Founded | 2009 (in the CHL) |
| Home arena | Cable Dahmer Arena |
| Colors | Black, orange, silver, white |
| Owner(s) | Lamar Hunt Jr. |
| General manager | Tad O'Had |
| Head coach | Tad O'Had |
| Affiliate(s) | Seattle Kraken (NHL) Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2009–2017 | Missouri Mavericks |
| 2017–present | Kansas City Mavericks |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 3 (2013–14, 2015–16, 2023–24) |
| Division Championships | 3 (2015–16, 2023–24, 2024–25) |
| Conference Championships | 1 (2023–24) |
 Current season |
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Contents
The Mavericks' Story
The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced a new team for Independence on April 16, 2009. This team would start playing in the 2009–10 season. The new team worked with a local newspaper to hold a contest to name the team. On June 24, the name "Missouri Mavericks," along with their logo and colors, was revealed.
Scott Hillman became the Mavericks' first head coach on May 29, 2009. He had previously led another team, the Knoxville Ice Bears, to two championships. The Mavericks played their first home game on November 13, 2009. A large crowd of 5,760 people came to watch at the Independence Events Center.
Team Affiliations and Changes
On September 17, 2011, the Mavericks announced they would work with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL). This agreement helped players move between the teams. This partnership continued for several years.
In May 2012, Coach Scott Hillman's contract was extended for two more years. In July 2012, the Mavericks also made a deal for all their games to be broadcast on local radio.
Coach Hillman left the Mavericks in May 2014 to coach a new team. In June, Richard Matvichuk was hired as the new coach.
Joining the ECHL
The Central Hockey League stopped operating on October 7, 2014. Because of this, the Mavericks and six other teams joined the ECHL. This was a big change for the team.
In February 2015, Lamar Hunt Jr., whose father founded the Kansas City Chiefs, bought the Missouri Mavericks. He became the team's full owner.
On June 11, 2015, the Mavericks announced a two-year agreement with the New York Islanders. The Islanders are a team in the NHL. This meant the Mavericks would help develop players for the Islanders.
New Coaches and Name Change
Coach Richard Matvichuk resigned on June 2, 2016. He had led the Mavericks to a regular season championship and was named ECHL coach of the year. He left to coach a different league. John-Scott Dickson, who used to play for the Mavericks, became the new head coach.
The Mavericks also started working with the St. Louis Blues (NHL) in 2016. This helped promote hockey in Missouri and Kansas. However, the New York Islanders remained their main team for player development.
On March 11, 2017, the team announced a big change: the Missouri Mavericks would become the Kansas City Mavericks. This name change started with the 2017–18 season. Their affiliation with the Islanders also ended. In June 2017, the Kansas City Mavericks partnered with the Calgary Flames (NHL) and the Stockton Heat (AHL).
In January 2020, Coach Dickson was fired. After the season, Tad O'Had became the new head coach.
On July 28, 2022, the Mavericks announced a new affiliation. They partnered with the Seattle Kraken (NHL) and their AHL team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The Mavericks had a great season in 2023–24. On May 27, 2024, they won the Western Conference. This meant they reached the Kelly Cup finals for the first time ever!
Season Records
This table shows how the Kansas City Mavericks have performed each season. It includes their wins, losses, and how they did in the playoffs.
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||
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| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Standing | Year | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Kelly Cup |
| 2009–10 (CHL) | 64 | 31 | 27 | 6 | — | 68 | 200 | 220 | 1589 | 5th, Northern Conf. | 2010 | W, 2–1, MRK | L, 0–4, RC | — | — |
| 2010–11 (CHL) | 66 | 37 | 23 | 6 | — | 80 | 213 | 173 | 1197 | 4th, Turner Conf. | 2011 | W, 3–2, WIC | L, 1–3, COL | — | — |
| 2011–12 (CHL) | 66 | 39 | 21 | 6 | — | 84 | 223 | 200 | 1048 | 3rd, Turner Conf. | 2012 | — | W, 4–0, EVN | L, 3–4, FW | — |
| 2012–13 (CHL) | 66 | 35 | 25 | 6 | — | 76 | 217 | 222 | 991 | 5th, CHL | 2013 | — | W, 4–2, RC | L, 3–4, ALN | — |
| 2013–14 (CHL) | 66 | 44 | 20 | 2 | — | 90 | 238 | 184 | 1012 | 1st, CHL | 2014 | — | L, 2–4, ARZ | — | — |
| 2014–15 (ECHL) | 72 | 28 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 65 | 192 | 231 | 1426 | 6th, Central Div. | 2015 | did not qualify | |||
| 2015–16 (ECHL) | 72 | 52 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 109 | 234 | 162 | 855 | 1st, Central Div. | 2016 | W, 4–0, QC | L, 2–4, ALN | — | — |
| 2016–17 (ECHL) | 72 | 33 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 75 | 233 | 241 | 1040 | 5th, Mountain Div. | 2017 | did not qualify | |||
| 2017–18 (ECHL) | 72 | 34 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 74 | 204 | 223 | 904 | 6th, Central Div. | 2018 | did not qualify | |||
| 2018–19 (ECHL) | 72 | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 78 | 234 | 228 | 993 | 4th, Mountain Div. | 2019 | L, 3–4, TUL | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 (ECHL) | 61 | 24 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 53 | 167 | 217 | 721 | 7th, Mountain Div. | 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2020–21 (ECHL) | 72 | 31 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 72 | 205 | 226 | 806 | 6th, Western Conf. | 2021 | did not qualify | |||
| 2021–22 (ECHL) | 72 | 32 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 71 | 210 | 243 | 1482 | 6th, Mountain Div. | 2022 | did not qualify | |||
| 2022–23 (ECHL) | 72 | 34 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 76 | 222 | 224 | 939 | 3rd, Mountain Div. | 2023 | L, 2–4, ALN | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 (ECHL) | 72 | 54 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 114 | 305 | 202 | 688 | 1st, Mountain Div. | 2024 | W, 4–0, TUL | W, 4–1, IDH | W, 4–2, TOL | L, 1–4, FLA |
| 2024–25 (ECHL) | 72 | 49 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 103 | 256 | 178 | 946 | 1st, Mountain Div. | 2025 | W, 4–2, TUL | W, 4–0, TAH | L, 1–4, TOL | — |
| CHL totals | 328 | 186 | 116 | 26 | — | 398 | 1091 | 999 | 5837 | ||||||
| ECHL totals | 781 | 407 | 298 | 51 | 25 | 890 | 2462 | 2375 | 10800 | ||||||
Players and Team Staff
Team Captains
The team captain is a very important player. They help lead the team on and off the ice. Here are some of the players who have been captains for the Mavericks:
- 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, 2020–21
- Lane Scheidl, 2021–22
- Nick Pastujov, 2022–23
Famous Former Players
Many talented players have played for the Mavericks. Some of them have even gone on to play in higher leagues like the NHL. Here are a few notable alumni:
- Kyle Burroughs
- Ville Husso
- Ross Johnston
- Maxime Lagace
- Jed Ortmeyer
- Carter Verhaeghe
