On Wednesday November 4th, the Kansas City Mavericks announced the signing of American defensemen Willie Corrin. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season. Corrin spent 2019-20 overseas in Slovakia with HKM Zvolen. During this time, he was a teammate of former Maverick Michael Parks.
Last season in Slovakia, the defensemen recorded nine goals along with 38 assists which made for 47 points. He did so in 53 games. Corrin also racked up an astounding 136 penalty minutes.
Corrin has played in a total of 80 games in the ECHL. Most recently, in 2017-18, he took to the ice with the Brampton Beast. There, he put up 50 points, scoring 14 goals along with 36 assists. He has also played 23 games at the AHL level between a handful of teams.
This includes the Toronto Marlies, Belleville Senators, Laval Rocket and Utica Comets. Throughout, he has recorded seven points, having tallied two goals along with five assists. The 29-year-old has good size, standing stall at 6’1 and weighing 205 pounds.
Corrin is a pretty good athlete, who can pass the puck at a very high level. He’s also very tough and not afraid to stick up for his teammates. Corrin is now the ninth defensemen on Kansas City’s roster for the upcoming season. Mavericks training camp is gearing up to be very competitive and guys are really gonna have to earn their spot on the team.
In another major signing for the Mavericks, the team also announced the signing of Giorgio Estephan for the upcoming season. Estephan was a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres back in 2015. He has spent most of his career in pro hockey between the Newfoundland Growlers and the Toronto Marlies.
In 44 games with the Growlers last year, Estephan recorded 18 goals along with 34 assists which made for 52 points. That would see him placed over a point per game. He also played eight games with the Marlies in which he recorded one goal and one assist. Estephan is a promising young hockey player and the Mavericks are very lucky to acquire a player of his talent.
The native of Edmonton is decently sized at six-feet tall and weighing 196 pounds. He’s a very good skater with a deadly shot as well as great hands. He is capable of making highlight-reel plays very time he gets on the ice, but he is also more than capable of making all the right reads and passes inside the offensive zone. Estephan has improved each year of pro and 2020-21 should be no different.
With Matt Schmalz’s recent trade to the Royals, the Mavericks remain at 15 forwards and a rostered total of 26 players. As I said before, the guys currently under contract are going to have to battle to make this team. The Mavericks are absolutely loaded with talent and I’m very excited about their chances this season.