OFF MIC: MEET MAVERICKS GM AND HEAD COACH, TAD O'HAD

In this edition of Off Mic, Mavericks GM and Head Coach Tad O’Had took us on a riveting journey from his youth hockey days in Washington all the way to present as a professional hockey coach in Kansas City.

Tad grew up in the Tri-Cities, an area composed of the three closely linked cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. With hockey not being prevalent in the state of Washington at the time, he explained that his exposure to the sport as a young kid was limited. When his mom took him to his first hockey game to see the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League, however, Tad was instantly hooked. 

It was not long after that he started playing in the Tri-Cities at the age of nine, before moving to Yakima in central Washington where he continued his young career. It was the fast pace and physicality of hockey that drew Tad to the sport. He played just about every sport growing up, but nothing matched his passion for hockey. As he soon learned, it also opened doors that changed the trajectory of his life. 

At the age of 15, Tad left home to attend Millbrook, a boarding school in New York. Aside from getting to play high school hockey on a scholarship, moving across the country on his own was a huge turning point and accelerated his maturation.  

The most fascinating aspect of Tad’s story, however, is not that he moved nearly 3,000 miles away from home, but how the opportunity came about. As a young teenager, he read an article in Sports Illustrated about Catholic Memorial, a prep school in Boston with a renowned hockey program, which sparked his desire to play prep school hockey. With an insatiable hunger to make this dream a reality, Tad wrote letters to 164 schools and sent along game film on VHS tapes. He heard back from several prep schools and ultimately it was Millbrook that provided his family with a compelling financial aid package. He spent his sophomore, junior, and senior year there and loved every second of it.

After his three years at Millbrook, Tad moved onto juniors. He started with New York Apple Core, a team based in Long Beach, NY, before moving on to play for a couple teams in Saskatchewan and then finishing his junior career with the Port Hope Clippers in the Ontario Provincial Hockey League where he served as captain. Despite being frequently on the move, Tad spoke fondly of his experience in juniors, a period of time that was monumental in his development as a man.  

In 2001, Tad headed to New London, CT to begin his collegiate hockey career at Conn College, a Division III program of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). He described life at Conn College as the perfect balance between hockey and academics. During his sophomore year, the men’s hockey team underwent a coaching change, and Tad was fortunate to be selected as one of just two players to serve on the coach’s hiring committee. Being part of the decision-making process for the team’s next head coach was an impactful experience and a steppingstone to his own coaching career. Selected as the next bench boss of the Conn College Camels was Jim Ward, a man who’s impact on Tad on both a coaching and personal level has grown stronger as time has gone on.

During his time in college, Tad developed an interest in coaching. That, along with his passion for training athletes, led him to BlueStreak Sports Training as one of the founding members during his senior year, which became a premier sports training facility for hockey players. Tad realized that while he likely wouldn’t have the opportunity to advance to a professional playing career, there was no doubt that he wanted to stay involved in hockey and BlueStreak allowed him to do so for several years after graduating. 

His first coaching job arose when he moved to Florida to open another training facility and got the opportunity to lead a AAA program where he was fortunate to coach kids like Jakob Chychrun, Ryan Lindgren and Andrew Peeke who have advanced on to NHL careers. In 2010, he joined the Florida Junior Blades, serving as the organization’s GM and Head Coach. Leading a junior hockey program was no easy feat, dealing with the minutia of booking travel, recruiting players, and scheduling practices, but Tad loved it and said the experience prepared him well for what was to come. 

In 2013, his first professional coaching opportunity came knocking when a spot opened up with the Florida Everblades who were in need of a new Assistant Coach. Everblades President Craig Brush took a liking to Tad who had already been working with the organization as a strength and conditioning coach. After three seasons with the Junior Blades, he jumped at the opportunity to advance to the pro level with the Everblades where he would spend the next seven years of his career, three as an Assistant Coach and four as an Associate Head Coach.

When he joined the Everblades in 2013, Tad set a goal to eventually lead his own team, but not just any team. Kansas City captured his attention from the beginning. He considered the organization to be a diamond in the rough with it being in a major market, boasting a top-notch facility, and having been highly regarded by former players. 

In January of 2020, the Mavericks made a coaching change. While vowing not to leave the Everblades mid-season, Tad made contact with the Mavericks to express his interest in the opportunity and was ultimately hired as the club’s new Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations in April that year. 

Before he was hired, Tad communicated his vision of making the Mavericks a perennial playoff contender every year. He feels there is still work to be done but is proud of all that the team has accomplished. While last year’s loss to Florida in the Kelly Cup Finals was gut-wrenching, Tad stated that winning the Western Conference Championship was a huge step forward for the organization. He added that the growth in the Mavericks’ fan base has been among the biggest highlights of his time in Kansas City. 

Tad’s keen eye for talent has been a big reason for his success as a professional hockey coach. Working in junior hockey laid the foundation required to be a successful recruiter. Tad remembers attending tournaments where he’d watch 30 games over the course of a weekend. Doing that on a regular basis early in his career sharpened his ability to distinguish players from one another and recognize talent. 

Throughout his time with the Mavericks, Tad says that it has become easier to identify the types of players he wants on his team. He describes his recruiting process as “sniper-focused”, in which the primary quality he looks for in players is character. While he values other aspects like speed and toughness, nothing trumps character.  

The best advice Tad says he’s received during his career is to get used to hearing “no.” There have been days where he’s called 40 agents and heard “no” from 35 of them, but he says it’s about being persistent and consistent, and sticking to your recruiting principles. 

Over the course of Tad’s entire career, he says one thing has remained constant: the support of his mother, Cheryl. She watches every game religiously, whether it’s an afternoon game in Wheeling or a late start out in Lake Tahoe. Tad recently coached his 800^th game and he’s certain that his mother hasn’t missed one, a milestone in and of itself that he couldn’t have imagined reaching when he began his pro career.

In just his fifth season with the Mavericks, Tad has become the winningest coach in the history of professional hockey in Kansas City. While he is incredibly proud of his personal achievements, his focus has always been the team and making it the best it can be. When he thinks about former coaches and mentors like Bob Howe, Tad remembers why he got into this business in the first place, to change peoples’ lives for the better, both on and off the ice. (Benson, 2025)