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CHL Kansas City Mavericks

Mavericks Sign Ed McGrane, Simon Watson Retires

August 5, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Kansas City Mavericks News Release


INDEPENDENCE, Missouri - The Missouri Mavericks of the Central Hockey League (CHL) made a number of significant announcements Friday at a press conference at Independence Events Center. Simon Watson announced his retirement and acceptance of the position of Assistant Director of Hockey Operations with the Mavericks. Mavericks' Head Coach Scott Hillman announced the team has signed forward Ed McGrane for the 2011-12 season, and the Mavericks also announced the details of the team's Summer Strategy Sessions.

"This is a big day for the Mavericks," said President and General Manager Brent Thiessen. "We have signed a player in Ed McGrane who will provide instant offense for our team. We are also thrilled for Simon Watson to be named the Assistant Director of Hockey Operations, and although he has retired as a player, we are excited he will be a member of this team for the long term."

McGrane, 33 (5/4/78), comes back to the CHL after playing one season with Karlskrona in Sweden. The veteran forward has averaged over a point per game in his eight-year career with 512 points (217-295517) in 440 games. Prior to playing in Sweden, the Hamilton, Ontario native played four full seasons with the CHL's Colorado Eagles where he averaged 1.33 points per game and finished in the top ten in the CHL in scoring every season he was with the Eagles. While in Colorado, McGrane scored 80 or more points in three out of the four years including two seasons in which he had 89 points. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound center led the entire CHL with 44 goals during the 2009-10 season, his last season in the CHL. Overall, McGrane has scored 150 goals and 217 assists for 367 points in just 280 games in the CHL.

McGrane was an integral part of the Eagles' championship season in 2006-07 where he totaled 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists in 25 games played. He brings post-season experience with him having played in a total of 75 playoff games where he has notched 73 points and 38 goals.

Prior to playing in Colorado, McGrane played nearly two full seasons in the ECHL, and also was called up to the American Hockey League (AHL) for six games. He competed at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell for four years before turning pro.

"We are very excited to add such an impact player," said Mavericks' Head Coach Scott Hillman. "Ed is an offensive threat every night who has championship experience. He brings a lot of character to the locker room and is just the type of veteran player that we were looking for to lead our team offensively."

Simon Watson, an original member of the Mavericks, announced he has retired from playing hockey, but he will continue to be with the Mavericks as the team's Assistant Director of Hockey Operations. Watson played the previous two seasons with the Mavericks and closed out his five-year playing career in the CHL with 95 goals and 125 assists in 298 games. He joins the Mavericks hockey operations department where he will assist head coach Scott Hillman on the day-to-day tasks of the team as well as be involved in the youth hockey programs.

"Simon has had an outstanding career in the CHL and we could not be more honored to have such a great person join our hockey ops staff," said Hillman. "His incredible commitment to this community and our franchise over the past two years, and his passion for the game of hockey made this an easy decision for our organization."

Mavericks' President and General Manager Brent Thiessen also announced the details of the Mavericks' Summer Strategy Sessions. The sessions are very much like the Mavericks' Adult Fantasy Camps without the skating portion. The sessions will take place every Tuesday in September from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mavericks' locker room. The sessions will focus on the basics of hockey, the strategy of building the team, hockey concepts and situations, coaching, and hockey tidbits covering items such as; hockey superstitions, life on the road, community service and daily schedules. Each participant will receive dinner each session, a Mavericks t-shirt, a strategy DVD, certificate of completion and an Orange Army Mavericks' Hoodie. The sessions will be limited to the first 20 people who sign up. For more information or to sign up, visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.

The Missouri Mavericks will begin their third season in the Central Hockey League in October. The Mavericks play their home games at the state-of-the-art Independence Events Center where parking is always free. Individual game tickets will go on sale on September 17, and season tickets are on sale now starting at just $11 per game. Call (816) 252-7825 for more information or visit www.MissouriMavericks.com .

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