In today’s edition of our ongoing Three Stars series, we’ll be looking at the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks. The franchise was founded in 2009 as the Missouri Mavericks in the Central Hockey League. When the CHL folded after the 2013/14 season, the Mavericks, along with seven other teams, made the transition to the ECHL. The team has been affiliated with the Calgary Flames since 2017, this being after two seasons of affiliation with the New York Islanders.
Over the team’s relatively short history, the Mavericks have seen a plethora of talented hockey players, whether it be guys who are NHL prospects or guys still trying to make a name for themselves in pro hockey. The three players outlined in this article, in my view, are some of the best to ever wear the orange and black.
Carter Verhaeghe
We’re starting off with an absolute warrior in centreman Carter Verhaeghe. It’s not easy to get from the ECHL all the way to the NHL. In fact, by the time this article was written, only 678 players have played in both the ECHL and the NHL.
That never mattered to Verhaeghe. He spent two seasons moving between the Bridgepoint Sound Tigers of the AHL and the Kansas City Mavericks. That was from 2015-16 through to 2016-17. In total, Verhaeghe played in just 36 games for the Mavericks hockey club. In those 36 games, he recorded 20 goals along with 37 assists. That made for 57 points.
Seriously.
It was apparent this guy did not belong in the ECHL and he was proving it on the ice every night. In 2016/17, where the Canadian only played in 16 games, he managed to record 12 goals along with 20 assists for an absurd 32 points. Scoring at a point per game pace is pretty unheard of in the modern ECHL and Verhaeghe was scoring two points a game. The forward is the Mavericks’ all-time leader in points per game with a whopping 1.583.
After being traded from New York to Tampa Bay in 2017, Verhaeghe, from Waterdown, Ontario, spent two years in the AHL. Notably, in 2018-19, Carter led the AHL in both goals (34) and points (82). The lefty was also named to the AHL First All-Star Team.
Finally, in 2019-20, Verhaeghe fought his way onto the NHL roster in Tampa Bay, and all his hard work culminated on January 7th, just days into the new year. In doing so, he scored a hat trick in a 9-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. At just 25-years-old, Verhaeghe, who stands tall at 6’1, is going to carve out a substantial career in the NHL. He’s already proven to be a pretty good goal scorer and his best years are well in front of him.
Sébastien Thinel
Unlike Carter Verhaeghe, the Mavericks weren’t a stepping stone for Sébastien Thinel. Thinel wasn’t going to dominate the minor leagues in a way that would send him to the NHL. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t dominant.
Thinel played junior hockey in the QMJHL with his twin brother, Marc-Andre. During the 2000/2001 season, while the two played for the Victoriaville Tigres, the twins combined for 107 goals, 161 assists and 268 points. After this, Marc-Andre would spend time in both the AHL and the ECHL.
He did so as a Montreal Canadiens prospect prior to heading overseas to play in France. Sébastien had a couple more years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but he wasn’t selected like his brother, nor did he ever find as much success as he did when playing with Marc-Andre. He was never signed by an NHL team.
Instead, he took his talents to the Central Hockey League, spending eight total seasons with the Odessa Jackalopes. This was with a one year break which Thinel spent playing with his brother again in France.
When the Odessa franchise, where Thinel had made his home, folded after the 2010/2011 season, Thinel joined the Missouri Mavericks, still in their infancy as a franchise, as their new captain. Thinel’s play during this time frame was elite, but more importantly, the right-winger’s leadership helped direct a new minor league franchise. In 2012/13, after putting up a monstrous 96 points in 66 games, Thinel led the Mavericks hockey club all the way to the league semifinal.
While his numbers led the CHL, he was also named MVP. The following year, behind another fantastic Thinel season, Kansas City got to the league semifinal.
The way he brought attention to the Mavericks through his exceptional play and winning performances is a big reason why this team is still going strong today. Thinel’s importance to Kansas City cannot be understated and he was rightfully the first and still the only player to have his number retired by the team.
In 265 games for the Mavericks, Thinel recorded 92 goals and 250 assists for 342 points. Unsurprisingly, he is Kansas City’s all-time leader in points and assists. He’s the only Maverick to score at or above a point per game (1.291) while also playing in at least 80 games for the team.
Thinel is third on the all-time points list for the now defunct CHL with 919. He did so, being one of only three players to score 900 points in that league. He is also fourth on the goals scored list with 310 and second on the assists list with 609.
An exceptional minor league hockey player, leader and person. Thinel was a great Maverick and every player who has the opportunity to lace up the skates for Kansas City should look up to the banner in Cable Dahmer Arena that displays Thinel’s 43 and try to make him proud.
Andrew Courtney
Andrew Courtney wasn’t the best player in the world. He wasn’t the most fun to watch. He wasn’t a big name prospect who just didn’t pan out. He was a hockey player.
“Isn’t everybody who plays hockey a hockey player?” That’s not what I mean. Andrew Courtney played hockey because he loved it. He battled because he loved to. Andrew Courtney is truly special because he made Independence, Missouri his home and he played for the fans, he played for his teammates and he played for himself.
After spending five years at the University of Lethbridge, Courtney managed to get a roster spot with Kansas City in 2010-2011. He impressed in his short time with the Mavericks and he was signed for the following season. Courtney’s first full season was exceptional.
He recorded 29 goals along with 30 assists for 59 points. He did so in 63 games. As great as he was, he was a 27-year-old just getting started in professional hockey. He wasn’t getting attention from scouts anymore.
After this, Courtney was faced with a choice. He had shined in his rookie year, done everything he could’ve been asked to do and more and it wasn’t looking like he was ever going to get past the CHL. He could’ve hung up his skates and nobody would’ve blamed him. But he didn’t.
Courtney played five more years with the Mavericks. He played as hard as he could for as long as he could, and eventually, his body couldn’t keep up anymore. Plagued by knee injuries since he was a teenager, he added back and shoulder problems to the list in his last couple of seasons. Courtney knew he couldn’t go anymore and he had to say goodbye.
Courtney is the Mavericks’ all time leader in games played (360) and goals scored (149). But it isn’t about the numbers and it never was. The Mavericks are his team, his home and his family. Andrew Courtney loved hockey and hockey loved him back for as long as it could.