MAVERICKS TRADE MARK COOPER’S RIGHTS TO SOUTH CAROLINA FOR RIGHTS TO FORWARD KOZUN AND D-MAN MCKERNAN

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Kansas City Mavericks Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations, John-Scott Dickson announced Monday the club has traded forward Mark Cooper’s ECHL rights to the South Carolina Stingrays for the ECHL rights of forward Tad Kozun and defenseman Kevin McKernan.

Kozun, a five-foot-11, 170-pounder from Nipawin, Saskatchewan tallied 50 points in 59 games last season for South Carolina on 18 goals and 32 assists. He also accumulated 109 penalty minutes. The 26-year old played collegiately at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks from 2014-2018, notching 69 points on 29 goals and 40 assists in 133 games.

McKernan, a five-foot-11, 192-pounder from Grafton, Massachusetts, played in 60 games for the Stingrays in his rookie season, scoring six goals and assisting 22 for 28 points with a plus-nine plus-minus rating. The 25-year-old played collegiately at Quinnipiac University where he scored 12 goals and posted 24 assists for 36 points in 138 games.

Cooper departs Kansas City after two seasons with the team, in which he tallied 84 points on 36 goals and 48 assists in 98 games. The 27-year old was a point-per-game player last season for the Mavericks, piling up 37 points on 13 goals and 24 assists in 30 games. Cooper, a Toronto, Ontario native, also played in 25 games in the American Hockey League last season with the San Antonio Rampage, scoring two goals and collecting five assists for seven points.

The Kansas City Mavericks begin their 11th season this fall at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence, MO. The 2019-20 home schedule kicks off on Saturday, October 12 as the Mavericks take on the Indy Fuel at 7:05 p.m. For more information, visit kcmavericks.com.