The Kansas City Mavericks added a potent scoring touch to their roster on Friday, signing forward Jesse Mychan to a standard player agreement. In 24 contests with the Allen Americans last season, Mychan amassed 24 points, recording 15 goals, while adding nine assists. the Saskatoon, SK native has spent eight seasons as a professional hockey player, splitting his time between Europe and North America. Through 219 career ECHL games, the 29-year-old has amassed 159 points, scoring 95 goals, while adding 64 assists. Last season, he signed an AHL contract with the Iowa Wild and was assigned to the Americans.
Mychan signing in Kansas City came as a surprise to many. After a strong, but injury-shortened season with the Americans, many expected him to stay in Allen. Mavericks Head Coach and GM Tad O’Had called the move of bringing him to Kansas City a “team effort.” O’Had said Head Equipment Manager Tony Deynzer played a role in convincing him to sign with the team, as well as assistant coach Riley Weselowski, newly re-signed forward Lane Scheidl, head trainer Nick Potter, and O’Had himself. Deynzer has a connection to Mychan, as he was equipment manager for the Colorado Eagles when Mychan won a Kelly Cup championship with the team. Scheidl and Mychan were teammates briefly with HK Nitra in Slovakia.
Coach O’Had sees Mychan as a complete player. “Jesse is a great addition to the Mavericks organization. He brings a scoring touch with high skill and a big power forward body that is willing to battle and compete for time and space,” the bench boss said. “I have always loved the way Jesse plays the game. He is a player you want on your team and not playing against.”
Along with Mychan’s scoring prowess, he has accumulated a large number of penalty minutes. 651 penalty minutes to be exact. Mychan plays a hard, explosive game and isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done to win. Whether it’s battling in the corners, blocking shots, or standing up for a teammate, he will be there to do his job night in and out. The Mountain Division is a rough and tumble division, and O’Had has been prioritizing players and staff who know how to win this division. Mychan fits right into that role.
The Mavericks have now announced a large numbers of their offseason signings, and there is definitely a buzz surrounding this organization. Mychan rounds out a series of signings that seem to have the potential to form a championship-caliber team. “We are building a contender here in KC and we have really examined our weakness last season and we are continuing to improve in all facets,” said the hockey club’s bench boss. The Mavericks are here to send a message this season, that message being, “We’re here and we’re ready to contend.” The Mavericks teams that were easy to push around, and had low scoring, are gone. This is a new era of hockey in Kansas City.