Get To Know Kraken's ECHL Farm Team

Kansas City Mavericks Owned By Member Of Legendary Hunt Family

The Coachella Valley Firebirds aren't the only Kraken farm club about to begin its second season aligned with Seattle.

One level below the AHL Firebirds, the Kansas City Mavericks are preparing for the 2023-24 ECHL campaign.

When the Mavs aligned with Seattle one year ago, Kraken assistant general manager Ricky Olczyk said, "We tried to find a location that has a rich history similar to Seattle. With the history and the folks (with the Mavericks) it was a no-brainer. We feel that it is going to be a good relationship."

The Mavericks are owned by Lamar Hunt, Jr. He's a son of the late Lamar Hunt, founder and influential owner of the NFL's K.C. Chiefs. Hunt Jr. told the Kansas City Star he doesn't harbor NHL ownership dreams for his city, saying, "“It doesn’t seem realistic.”

The city previously had an NHL team, the Scouts, from 1974-76. In their second and final season, the Scouts went winless in their final 27 games. Then the cash-strapped franchise bolted for Denver.

Hunt prefers to turn attention instead back to his Mavericks. "We’re here, we’re present and we’re a heck of a lot of fun."

The Mavs play at Cable Dahmer Arena, a 5,800-seat venue in Independence, a Kansas City suburb. They were a 2009 expansion team - then called the Missouri Mavericks - in the now-defunct Central Hockey League. When the CHL went belly-up in 2014, the Mavs and six other clubs were absorbed by the ECHL. They've previously been affiliated with the N.Y. Islanders and Calgary Flames.

The Mavericks compete in the Mountain Division and Western Conference of the ECHL. In their first year of Kraken affiliation, the club recorded a 34-30-8 record and made the playoffs. As for the league itself, the ECHL comprises 28 teams in four divisions. Teams in the top 40 U.S. metro areas include Atlanta (9), Orlando (22), Cincinnati (30), Indianapolis (33), Norfolk (37), and Jacksonville (39).

One more Mavericks' note. If you can find a coach/general manager anywhere in hockey with a better name, let me know: Yakima, Washington native Tad O'Had. Of the Seattle connection, O'Had said, "We've spent countless hours building relationships with the Kraken. The time and effort will allow us to be better for many years to come."

Interested in seeing the Kraken's ECHL farm team? The closest the Mavericks will get to Seattle is a three game series against the Steelheads in Boise next January 10, 12, and 13.