Mavericks announce affiliation with NHL’s New York Islanders

When he bought the team last February, Missouri Mavericks owner Lamar Hunt Jr. outlined a series of initiatives for his newly-purchased hockey club to become a championship contender in the ECHL. A National Hockey League affiliation headlined those priorities.

Hunt crossed that item off his list Thursday, when the Missouri Mavericks announced a two-year partnership with the New York Islanders set to begin in the 2015-16 season.

By extension, the Mavericks will also serve as an affiliate of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. The Islanders own the Bridgeport franchise, which is their top minor-league affiliate.

“We want to win, and this is going to help us win, so it was really an easy decision from our perspective,” Hunt said. “When we met with the Islanders, they satisfied everything we needed, mostly in terms of player development and helping us win hockey games.”

It’s the first NHL affiliation in the Mavericks’ six-year franchise history. As part of the agreement, the Islanders will house at least three players with the Mavericks throughout the season.

Several New York prospects played in the ECHL last season, when the Islanders had an affiliation with the now-defunct Stockton Thunder. Those players included former second-round pick Sebastian Collberg, third-rounder Loic Leduc and seventh-rounder Lukas Sutter.

Three players who finished the 2014-15 season on New York’s roster were former ECHL players — Eric Boulton, Colin McDonald and Kael Mouillierat.

“We’re already working hand in hand with the hockey operations of the Mavericks to sign players that fit both our needs with the Islanders but also with the Mavericks,” said Kerry Gwydir, an assistant to Islanders general manager Garth Snow. “Trust us, the ball is already rolling. The philosophies are being exchanged.”

Mavericks coach Richard Matvichuk emphasized that his team’s aggressive playing style won’t change.

At least for now.

Matvichuk will attend a six-day coaches minicamp with the Islanders next month.

The most serious changes within the Mavericks franchise will come in the day-to-day operations, Mavericks general manager Brent Thiessen said. Missouri will alter some of its training techniques, as well as its strength and conditioning workouts, to fit the Islanders’ system.

It will also have access to the Islanders’ scouting system. In the past, Hunt joked Thursday, the Mavericks relied on statistics from a computer to scout players.

Ken Morrow, the Islanders’ director of pro scouting, will be in Kansas City on a full-time basis. A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal, Morrow coached the former Kansas City Blades from 1990-91.

Morrow cited two major factors — the Mavericks’ move to the ECHL last season and Hunt’s purchase of the team in February — as bringing the NHL affiliation agreement together.

“I knew what (Hunt’s) vision was, what he wanted to do with hockey here — not only professional hockey but youth hockey at the grassroots level — and certainly I shared that vision,” Morrow said. “It was just a matter of putting the right people together with the Islanders and the Mavericks. It happened fairly quickly.”

The Mavericks will open the 2015-16 season with a trip to Alaska on Oct. 16. They will play host to the Wichita Thunder on Oct. 24 for the home opener.

This story was originally published June 11, 2015 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Mavericks announce affiliation with NHL’s New York Islanders."