MAVERICKS JOIN MOUNTAIN DIVISION

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The Missouri Mavericks announced today that they have joined, per the ECHL's new divisional alignment, the Mountain Division for the 2016-17 season.

Included with the Mavericks in the Mountain Division are the; Alaska Aces, Allen Americans, Colorado Eagles, Idaho Steelheads, Rapid City Rush and Utah Grizzlies.

The other Western Conference division, the Central Division, is made up of the; Fort Wayne Komets, Indy Fuel, Kalamazoo Wings, Quad City Mallards, Toledo Walleye, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder.

Along with the new divisional alignments, the ECHL Board of Governors approved a new playoff format for the 2016-17 season: The first two rounds of the Kelly Cup Playoffs will be played entirely within the division, with the division winner playing the fourth-place finisher and the second-place team meeting the third-place team in the Division Semifinals. The winners of each series will meet in the Division Finals, leading to the Conference Finals and Kelly Cup Finals.

The changes to the division alignment and playoff format will not alter the Mavericks' 2016-17 schedule that was announced in April.

About the Missouri Mavericks: The Mavericks are members of the Mountain Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL—the Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League in North America, led by General Manager Brent Thiessen. Founded in 2009, the Mavericks are entering their eighth season in team history at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. Missouri competed for five seasons in the Central Hockey League before formally joining the ECHL on Oct. 7, 2014 ahead of the 2014-15 campaign. Lamar Hunt Jr. was announced as the new owner of the Missouri Mavericks on Feb. 6, 2015. The Mavericks are the defending Brabham Cup winners after posting a league-leading record of 52-15-5 during the 2015-16 ECHL season, and have been honored with multiple community and league awards including the Harry S. Truman Special Community Service Recognition Award, the Bud Poile Governors’ Cup (CHL), and the CHL Franchise of the Year Award for four consecutive seasons.

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