The Kansas City Mavericks have traded forward Greg Betzold to the Kalamazoo Wings for Spencer Naas and Austin Farley. Betzold recorded one goal and three assists for four points last season. This of course being the case before the winger was sidelined with an upper body injury. Betzold has been with the Mavericks since the 2017-18 season. In 2018-19, he had a breakout year, scoring 25 goals and 31 assists. Along with 44 penalty minutes, he recorded these totals for 56 points.
Spencer Naas spent most of last season with the Idaho Steelheads before being traded to Kalamazoo. In 46 games with Idaho, Naas racked up eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. In seven games with the Wings before the pause, Naas recorded two goals and a single assist for a total of three points. He plays with a lot of speed and as a result, gets up and down the ice very quickly.
Austin Farley, 26-years-old, has spent most of his career playing pro in Sweden. He began the 2019-20 season with Lulea HF in the Swedish Hockey League. There, he recorded three goals along with two assists for a total of five points. He put up these numbers in 22 games played. In early January, Farley asked the hockey club to terminate him so he could return home to the U.S. for rehabilitation.
After signing with Kalamazoo, Farley recorded nine goals along with 13 assists for 22 points. He put up these totals in 27 games. Farley is another guy who’s a very fast skater and gets up and down the ice well. While he only stands at 5’8, Farley has faced some tough competition during his four-year tenure in the Swedish Hockey League.
This trade is a move by the Mavericks that swaps a big and skilled guy in Greg Betzold for two fast skaters. Farley and Naas, 25, will add a definite punch to the Mavericks offence. With the unknowns surrounding Greg Betzold who will make a bid to come back from an injury, I think this is a solid move to continue to improve the team’s offence for next season.