KC Mavericks return to action Saturday night, with events for fans before, after game
About to begin their 14th season of pro hockey in KC, the Kansas City Mavericks just might have the coolest parent clubs in the game.
Kraken and Firebirds? Mystical creatures that breathe fire? C’mon. Hard to top that, folks.
As for the Mavs themselves, they’re about to return to action for the 2022-23 season, kicking off their latest campaign Saturday evening at Cable Dahmer Arena (19100 E. Valley View Parkway, Independence).
The Mavericks will be playing host to the Mountain Division-rival Tulsa Oilers at 7:05 p.m.
The Seattle Kraken/Coachella Valley Firebirds affiliation agreement is new this season for the ECHL Western Conference club. Previously, the Mavs were most recently the ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames and AHL Stockton Heat.
The Firebirds, an AHL franchise in California, are the Kraken’s AHL affiliate. And the Kraken, of course, are in their second season as members of the National Hockey League.
While some things have changed for KC’s hockey club, much remains familiar. The Mavericks still sport their orange, silver, black and white color scheme and are still under the ownership of Lamar Hunt Jr., son of the late Chiefs and AFL founder Lamar Hunt.
On paper, this season’s Mavericks roster appears to be among the strongest in recent memory, with a lineup featuring a dozen players with AHL experience and 10 entering at least their second year in Kansas City.
That should help the Mavericks as they seek to add to a trophy chest that includes regular-season titles won in 2013-14 and 2015-16 and the 2015-16 division title.
Orchestrating it all will be general manager/head coach Tad O’Had, who begins his third season behind the bench in KC. O’Had came to the Mavs after a stint as an assistant coach with the Florida Everblades.
The Mavericks are looking to improve upon a 2021-22 season that saw them record 32 wins and 33 losses, with five overtime defeats and two losses in shootouts. KC last made the ECHL playoffs in 2018-19 and has reached the postseason just once in the past six years (including the pandemic-canceled 2019-20 season)
To celebrate their opening night, the Mavs will be holding a “barn party” in the Cable Dahmer Arena parking lot before Saturday’s game, where fans can expect to find a petting zoo, face-painting and more. Tickets to the game start at 25 bucks apiece.
The arena seats just under 6,000. The first 1,500 through the door Saturday will receive a cowbell courtesy of sponsor Red Top Farms. After the game, attendees will be invited onto the ice for a postgame skate with select Mavericks players.
One more thing: The Mavs will hold open practices — meaning fans can attend — Thursday and Friday at 10:30 a.m. each morning at Cable Dahmer Arena.
For more information about that, Saturday’s game and related events or the Mavericks in general, check out the club’s website.
This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 10:36 AM.