Darren Haynes of The Athletic has reported that the Stockton Heat, AHL affiliate of the Kansas City Mavericks, have signed goaltenders Andrew Shortridge and Matt Greenfield to two-way AHL-ECHL contracts and intend to assign the goaltenders to the Kansas City Mavericks. This will leave Kansas City with Angus Redmond, and the aforementioned goaltenders backstopping their team.
When told of this reporting, Head Coach and GM Tad O’Had commented, “Shortidge and Greenfield have been signed to two-way contracts. I don’t think it’s fair to them to automatically assume they will be in Kansas City. Both Shortridge and Greenfield are excellent goalies and I suspect that they will make decisions difficult in Stockton.”
Both Greenfield and Shortridge were two shining lights on the Mavericks’ goaltending carousel last season. Unfortunately, injuries derailed their seasons, but in between injuries, the two goalies were very impressive. Both goaltenders were named as ECHL Goaltenders of the Week at different points, and Shortridge saw playing time in the AHL with Stockton.
Shortridge played 14 games for Kansas City in 2020-21, posting a 2.92 GAA along with a save percentage of .905. This also included a 7-5-1 record. Standing at six-foot-four, Shortridge, for a time, was known as the league’s best goaltender. Unfortunately, after just a few games, the native of Anchorage, Alaska was sidelined by a serve lower-body injury.
After being recalled to the Stockton Heat, who were temporarily being housed in Calgary, Shortridge rehabbed until deemed healthy to return. He made it into three games for Stockton, where he owned a save percentage a .952 and a goals-against-average of 1.58. Following the conclusion of the AHL season, he was re-assigned to join the Mavericks, but did not see any ice time during that stint.
Matt Greenfield, 26-years-old, was a diamond-in-the-rough find for the Mavericks. Signed from the University of Calgary, the Parkland, Florida native shone in 25 games with Kansas City, securing a .916 save percentage and a goals-against-average of 2.80. The six-foot-two backstop seemed to be a wizard in the net, and despite the impressive save percentage, it still doesn’t reflect just how well he played. Among the eight goaltenders who appeared with the Mavericks last season, Greenfield’s abilities seemed to be the steadiest.
Kansas City will have three dominant goaltenders in which they will rely upon through the upcoming season. The fact that Stockton has signed two who performed well with the Mavericks is a signal of a change in the relationship between both affiliates.
In the past, Stockton has been reluctant to sign Kanas City talent, which has resulted in top-tier players instead moving on after a solid campaign. Hopefully, these will not be the last of the assignments by the Heat.