Kansas City Captures Bruce Taylor Trophy as Western Conference Champions
Published on June 2, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release
SHREWSBURY, N.J. - The Kansas City Mavericks captured the Bruce Taylor Trophy as ECHL Western Conference champions on Tuesday with a 4-3 overtime win over the Fort Wayne Komets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
Kansas City wins the series 4 games to 2, and advances to the 2026 Kelly Cup Finals, where it will meet the Florida Everblades. The Mavericks advance to the Kelly Cup Finals for the second time in three seasons after falling to Florida 4 games to 1 in the 2024 Kelly Cup Finals.
Jakov Novak, who scored the overtime game-winning goal on Tuesday, led Kansas City in the series with five goals, while David Cotton (3g-3a), Landon McCallum (2g-4a) and Marcus Crawford (1g-5a) shared the team lead with six points each.
The trophy is named in recognition of Bruce Taylor, who was the founding father of the West Coast Hockey League. In the early 1990s, Taylor purchased teams in Fresno, Reno and Bakersfield and in 1995 joined them with teams in Anchorage, Fairbanks and San Diego to form the West Coast Hockey League. The Taylor Cup was presented to the playoff champion in the WCHL from the league's inaugural season in 1995-96 until the league ceased operations following the 2002-03 season. Taylor's ownership in hockey began in 1983 with the purchase of the Burnaby Bluehawks of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League and continued with the purchase of the Richmond Sockeyes in the BCJHL and the New Westminster Royals in the BCJHL.
Bruce Taylor Trophy Champions
2026 Kansas City Mavericks
2025 Toledo Walleye
2024 Kansas City Mavericks
2023 Idaho Steelheads
2022 Toledo Walleye
2021 Fort Wayne Komets
2020 Trophy not awarded due to COVID-19
2019 Toledo Walleye
2018 Colorado Eagles
2017 Colorado Eagles
2016 Allen Americans
2015 Allen Americans
2014 Alaska Aces
2013 Stockton Thunder
2012 Las Vegas Wranglers
2011 Alaska Aces
2010 Idaho Steelheads
2009 Alaska Aces
2008 Las Vegas Wranglers
2007 Idaho Steelheads
2006 Alaska Aces
2005 Trenton Titans
2004 Idaho Steelheads
2003 Columbia Inferno
2002 Greenville Grrrowl
2001 South Carolina Stingrays
2000 Louisiana IceGators
1999 Mississippi Sea Wolves
1998 Pensacola Ice Pilots
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- Season Ends with 4-3 Overtime Loss to Kansas City - Fort Wayne Komets
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