Marcus Crawford has been named the ECHL Most Valuable Player following a historic 2025-26 season that placed him in rare company among the league’s all-time greats while redefining what it means to be an offensive defenseman.
Crawford led the entire ECHL in scoring with 86 points (14G, 72A), becoming the first defenseman in league history to win the ECHL scoring title. His 72 assists ranked among the highest single-season totals ever recorded by a defenseman, while his 86 points placed him sixth all-time at the position. In addition, he set a new single-season franchise record for assists with the Kansas City Mavericks.
The historical significance of Crawford’s season extends far beyond the stat sheet. He becomes just the second defenseman in ECHL history to be named Most Valuable Player, joining Chris Valicevic who played for the Louisiana IceGators (1999) as the only blueliners to ever earn the honor. Even more notably, only one defenseman in the last 20 years has finished inside the ECHL’s top 10 in scoring, alongside Les Lancaster of the Allen Americans during the 2020-21 season.
On the ice, Crawford’s consistency matched his historic production, as he recorded 22 multi-point performances while also posting the league’s second-longest assist streak with 16 assists over 11 consecutive games. His impact was felt in every situation, from even-strength play to critical special teams moments, earning him an All-Star selection as well as ECHL Defenseman of the Year honors and a place on the All-ECHL First Team.
With a season that rewrote portions of the ECHL record book and placed him in a class shared by only a handful of players in league history, Crawford’s 2025-26 campaign stands as one of the most impactful individual seasons the league has ever seen. The Kansas City Mavericks congratulate Marcus Crawford on being named the 2025-26 ECHL Most Valuable Player and recognize his historic season as a defining chapter in both franchise and league history.
Fans can catch the MVP and the first-place Mavericks in the Kelly Cup Finals beginning Friday, April 24th (7:05 PM) and April 25th (6:05 PM) as they gear up against the Tahoe Knight Monsters. Tickets can be purchased at kcmavericks.com/tickets or by calling 816-252-7825.
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