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Kansas City Mavericks facts for kids

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"Missouri Mavericks" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Mid-Missouri Mavericks.
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Kansas City Mavericks
Kansas City Mavericks logo.svg
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 2 (2015–16, 2023–24)
Conference Championships 1 (2023–24)
Current season

The Kansas City Mavericks are a professional ice hockey team that plays in the ECHL. They are based in Independence, Missouri, a city near Kansas City, Missouri. The team started in 2009 and was first known as the Missouri Mavericks. They play their home games at the Cable Dahmer Arena.

Team History and Changes

Independence Events Center
The Cable Dahmer Arena, where the Mavericks play.

The team was created on April 16, 2009, as an expansion team for the Central Hockey League (CHL). They asked local fans to help choose the team's name. On June 24, the name Missouri Mavericks, along with their logo and colors, was officially revealed.

Scott Hillman became the Mavericks' first head coach. He had previously led another team to two championships. The Mavericks played their first home game on November 13, 2009, in front of a large crowd of 5,760 fans.

Affiliations with Other Leagues

Hockey teams often have "affiliations" with teams in higher leagues. This means players can move between the teams to gain experience. On September 17, 2011, the Mavericks partnered with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL). This partnership lasted for several years.

In 2014, the CHL, the league the Mavericks were in, stopped operating. The Mavericks and six other teams from the CHL then joined the ECHL. This was a big change for the team.

New Ownership and Name Change

On February 5, 2015, Lamar Hunt Jr., whose father founded the Kansas City Chiefs football team, bought the Missouri Mavericks. He became the team's new owner.

In June 2015, the Mavericks made a new affiliation deal with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). This meant the Mavericks would help develop players for the Islanders.

On March 11, 2017, the team announced a major change: the Missouri Mavericks would become the Kansas City Mavericks. This new name started with the 2017–18 ECHL season. Their affiliation with the Islanders ended around this time. On June 8, 2017, the Kansas City Mavericks partnered with the Calgary Flames (NHL) and their AHL team, the Stockton Heat.

More recently, on July 28, 2022, the Mavericks formed a new affiliation with the Seattle Kraken (NHL) and their AHL team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Recent Success

The Kansas City Mavericks have achieved some great things. On May 27, 2024, they won the Western Conference championship. This was a historic moment, as it was the first time the team reached the Kelly Cup finals, which is the championship series for the ECHL.

Season-by-Season Records

This table shows how the Kansas City Mavericks have performed each season since they started. It includes their wins, losses, and how they did in the playoffs.

Regular season Playoffs
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
CHL totals 328 186 116 26 — 398 1091 999 5837
ECHL totals 709 358 280 47 24 787 2206 2197 9854

Players and Personnel

Team Captains

The team captain is a leader on the ice. Here are 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

Notable Alumni

Many players have played for the Mavericks and then gone on to play in higher leagues, including the NHL. Here are some of them:

  • Kyle Burroughs
  • Ville Husso
  • Ross Johnston
  • Maxime Lagace
  • Jed Ortmeyer
  • Carter Verhaeghe
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