Mavericks ready to start season at home

It took only a few trips to Independence for the New York Islanders to realize the potential in the Missouri Mavericks organization.

Eric Cairns, Islanders director of player development, said he made two visits before the clubs made the affiliation official. The Mavericks, who made the move to the ECHL last season, will now be an affiliate of the NHL’s Islanders.

“The professionalism from the top down was evident, which is a really good sign,” Cairns said. “The arena is nice and the area is a really cool spot for our players to come and live in. Then, in hockey terms, we matched up that way, which is another good sign.”

Cairns took in practice on Thursday as the team made its final preparations for tonight’s home opener. The Mavericks will drop the puck at 7:05 p.m. against the Wichita Thunder at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence.

As a result of the new partnership, the Mavericks bring in several fresh faces, including defenseman and captain Trevor Ludwig. He will play along with his younger brother and fellow defenseman, C.J.

“We have a lot of speed and our defense is solid,” Trevor Ludwig said. “They are young, they are driven, they skate hard and passes are crisp. There is a lot of upside right now.”

Ludwig has a bit of an advantage coming in, with prior knowledge of coach Richard Matvichuk. He is the franchise’s second coach, coming to the Mavericks last season after 14 seasons playing in the NHL and two years coaching the ECHL’s Allen Americans.

Ludwig played for Matvichuk in Allen and said his father played with Matvichuk when they were younger.

“He’s known me since I was a little kid,” Ludwig said. “I think we see eye-to-eye in a lot of aspects with the team and systems. For me, it has been a pretty easy transition so far.”

The team started the season with a three-game trip to Alaska to play the Aces and went 2-1. Josh Robinson received ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors with a 2-0-0 record and a shutout. He posted a 0.50 goals-against average and a .981 save percentage.

“We had a great 10 days in Alaska and came out with two big wins,” Matvichuk said.

“We are excited to get back here in front of our Orange Army because we know the place is going to be packed and loud, so it will be great for the guys to see how good our fans really are.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 9:01 PM with the headline "Mavericks ready to start season at home."