On Wednesday September 2nd, the Kansas City Mavericks announced the signing of Canadian defensemen Marcus Crawford. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season. Crawford was acquired from Orlando in 2019-20 as part of the Tad Kozun trade.
Crawford saw a fair amount of play during 2019-20 in the ECHL last year. He began the season with the Toledo Walleye, but after only playing one game for them, the former OHL’er was traded to Orlando.
In 20 games played with the Solar Bears, Crawford recorded a single goal along with one assist for a total of two points. He was then traded from Orlando to Kansas City, seeing the Solar Bears acquire Tad Kozun and Crawford joined alongside forward Dylan Fitze. Through 17 games with the Mavericks, Crawford recorded three goals along with three assists for a total of six points.
Crawford started producing more compared to his numbers while playing in Orlando. Having a stable home in the league should really help him to focus on his game. Marcus is still just 23-years-old and he’s a solid offensive defensemen who presents with soft hands.
This, coupled with his great skating ability, makes the right-handed shooter a must watch player. Crawford is another good addition to a youthful and talented blue line in Kansas City. This new and improved defensive core should be a total 180 from the one we saw last season. Adding another defensemen to the roster has only bolstered my confidence in them this upcoming season.