Hockey Ops

The 2024-25 season marks General Manager & Head Coach Tad O’Had ’s fifth season with the Mavericks. Last season, Kansas City won the Brabham Cup as regular season champions, set an ECHL single season record with 29 road wins, and advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time in team history.

A native of Yakima, Washington, O’Had came to Kansas City after spending seven seasons with the Florida Everblades as an assistant coach for three years and an associate head coach for four years. In the position, O’Had played a large role in the team ’s defense, recruiting, penalty kill, and strength & conditioning efforts. O’Had was behind the bench for nearly 500 regular-season games and 67 postseason games during his tenure, being a part of a staff in Florida with a .699 winning percentage. He made the playoffs in six of his seven seasons, winning a Brabham Cup championship in 2017-18 and five South Division championships. O’Had served as head coach and general manager of the Florida Jr. Blades for three seasons. Under O’Had’s direction, the Jr. Blades consistently dominated, making two appearances at USA Hockey Nationals and capturing a pair of regular seasons titles. He guided the team to a 112-19-8 record during his tenure. O’Had’s Jr. Blades team captured the 2017 USPHL National Championship. 

O’Had involved himself in hockey growing up, playing in the Tri-Cities area of Washington, where he found himself drawn to the defensive side of the sport. He went on to play hockey for Millbrook Prep School in Upstate New York for three years. After graduating from Millbrook, O’Had went on to play junior hockey in the Ontario Provincial Hockey League with the Port Huron Clippers. While pursuing higher education, O’Had attended Connecticut College, where he was a three-time team captain. He became one of the founders of BlueStreak Sports Training, one of the most prestigious sports training facilities in the country.  O’Had went on to be the co-founder of Hybrid Hockey, a recruitment and exposure service that prepares players who are looking to expose themselves at the collegiate level. 

In 2009, O’Had was granted the opportunity to work in Russia with the Olympic development program, where he co-founded several training programs. O’Had served as the Vice President of Hockey for Athletic Republic Headquarters for six years. O’Had was awarded the Dick Vraa Award for his contribution to the Athletic Republic Net- work.  In 2017, O’Had was named to the Gulf shore Business Magazine Top 40 Under 40 list, reserved for the most influential business leaders under the age of 40 in Southwest Florida.

Riley Weselowski begins his fourth year with the Mavericks and second as Associate Coach, a position he was promoted to in July 2023. A native of Pilot Mound, Manitoba, Weselowski entered the coaching world after a successful 13-year playing career, the majority of which was spent with the Rapid City Rush and other stops in the ECHL and CHL, where he played in more than 700 regular-season and 81 postseason games.

During his first season as Associate Coach, the Mavericks earned the Brabham Cup as ECHL Regular-Season Champions and won the Western Conference Championship, advancing all the way to the Kelly Cup Finals. The Mavericks have improved their regular season record and advanced further in the playoffs each season coach Wes has been on staff.

On October 29, 2022, the Mavericks were on hand in Rapid City, South Dakota, when the Rapid City Rush retired Weselowski’s No. 6 jersey. He played in 517 games for the Rush across nine seasons, highlighted by winning the President’s Cup as Central Hockey League Champions in 2010. Additionally, he was named the 2012 Central Hockey League Defenseman of the Year as well as Man of the Year for his community involvement. A natural leader, Weselowski wore a letter as a team captain in each of his final 11 professional seasons and spent his final six seasons on the ice in a player/assistant coach role.

He served on the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA) executive board during his final seven seasons, working on behalf of PHPA and in conjunction with the ECHL to negotiate the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. He also played a major role in helping guide the players and the league through the COVID shutdown of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

A graduate of Bemidji State University, Weselowski started the Black Hills Hockey Academy in 2011, growing it into premier on and off-ice summer hockey skills training in multiple cities across Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Weselowski, his wife Kelly, and their two sons (Collin and Corbin) reside in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Rob Couturier enters his second season as the goaltending and video coach for the Mavericks. During the 2023-24 season, Couturier helped the Mavericks goaltenders post the third best GAA in the ECHL. The 2023-24 Mavericks were the only team in ECHL history to have three goaltenders with 16 or more wins during the regular season. Couturier helped the Mavericks reach their first Kelly Cup Finals appearance in franchise history. Goaltender Jack LaFontaine recorded a .938 save percentage during the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Prior to coming to Kansas City, Couturier spent four successful seasons in the NCAA, coaching at both  Colby  College  and  the  University of  Nebraska-Omaha. During his time at UNO, Couturier helped their goaltenders tally a 2.52 GAA and a .912 save percentage along with seven shutouts and numerous individual awards. Additionally, Couturier founded ProForm Goalie Development in 2015.

Scott Herbster is a full-time skating and skill development coach with over nine years of experience. During the regular season, Scott collaborates with various youth and high school organizations, offering his expertise as a skating and skills coach. Additionally, he holds the position of Director of Skill Development for the University of Wisconsin-Superior (DIII) Men’s and Women’s teams. Scott has also spent time with the University Wisconsin- Madison Men’s team (DI). During the off season Scott operates his company Herbster Hockey Power Skating & Skills where he works with players from beginner to the NHL through week long camps and summer programs. 

Nick Potter enters his ninth season with the Mavericks and carries a reputation as one of the best athletic trainers in the ECHL. During his tenure with Kansas City, he received two of the highest honors in the league: 2018-19 ECHL Athletic Trainer of the Year and 2020 ECHL All-Star Classic Athletic Trainer. 

Potter played an instrumental role in forward Jake Jaremko’s return from an injury suffered in November 2022. Jaremko was rehabilitated under Potter to be able to return for the final games of the regular season and play a large part in the Mavericks’ postseason success. Potter has created specialized rehab programs for several players during his tenure in Kansas City, including Achilles’ tendon repair (Jesse Root, 2016), Shoulder Reconstruction (Andrew Courtney, 2017; Greg Betzold, 2020), and ACL Reconstruction (Rocco Carzo, 2018).

Potter served as the President of the ECHL Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society Executive Committee and is a member of the ECHL Player Safety Committee, ensuring the highest quality of healthcare and medical advancements provided to players and teams. Potter is also the ECHL representative on the AHL Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society Executive Committee. 

Before joining the Mavericks staff, he spent eight seasons as an assistant athletic trainer for the Kansas City Chiefs. A 2005 Western Michigan University graduate, he spent his 2004 and 2005 summers as an athletic training intern for the Detroit Lions. Potter earned his master’s degree in sports management from Texas Tech, where he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant with the school’s football and golf teams. He is a certified athletic trainer and a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and Kansas City Athletic Trainers Society, in addition to his membership in PHATS. Potter lives in Shawnee, Kan., with his wife, Kaylee, stepson Brayden (14), and his sons Easton (seven) and Cash (five).

Jocelyn Stillwell is entering her fifth season with the Kansas City Mavericks; she served as an intern for two seasons while completing her M.S. in Athletic Training at the University of Saint Mary. She also holds a B.S. in Kinesiology from MidAmerica Nazarene University, where her passion for athletic training began. 

While ice hockey is her focus, her experience spans a variety of sports. She has completed internships with Sporting KC II (2021), MidAmerica Nazarene University football (2021), the Kansas City Comets (2022), and the Kansas City Chiefs (2022). 

Stillwell is a board-certified athletic trainer and an active member of both the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society and the National Athletic Trainers' Association. In addition to her role with the Mavericks, Stillwell serves as an Athletic Trainer with Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine of Kansas City and Maranatha Christian Academy high school. She continues to contribute to the Kansas City Chiefs organization as a sideline attendant during home games.

Owner of Summit Nutrition, Jourdan Mercurio-Lewis, brings a wealth of nutrition and diet expertise to the Mavericks as Team Nutritionist. Jourdan's passion for nutrition stems from being a former collegiate athlete herself and seeing the correlation between what happens in the kitchen and athletic performance. Jourdan graduated with her Bachelors degree from University of Missouri-Kansas City in Health Science with an internship under the dietitian at Children’s Mercy. She continued her education by receiving her Masters in Nutrition and Human Performance with an emphasis in Sports Nutrition at Logan University, where she was the valedictorian of her class. Alongside Mavericks and Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs athletes, Jourdan also works with a wide range of clientele needs including chronic illnesses, children/families planning and weight loss. Jourdan’s "anti-fad dieting" approach guides players off the ice to improved performance on the ice. This includes pre and post-workout nutrition tailored to each athlete's personal goals. “Nutrition is about creating a lifestyle, not a diet. Athlete or fan. The great can become greater and implementing proper nutrition allows that next step to happen.” -Jourdan Mercurio-Lewis

Sara Reichenbach begins her second season as the Mavericks Mental Performance Coach. She is the founder of A.C.E. Coaching (www.acecoachingllc.com), a performance coaching practice focused on achieving full-charge performance and self-growth. A native of Aylmer, Quebec, Canada, Reichenbach earned her MPM certification in mental skills and her Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercyhurst University following her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at St. Lawrence University. While at St. Lawrence, Reichenbach was part of the women’s hockey team. She helped her team appear in four ECAC hockey tournaments and two NCAA Frozen Fours. Reichenbach was a four-time ECAC All-Academic Team member. Following her time at St. Lawrence, Reichenbach played professional in Switzerland from 2004-05, earning herself a tryout with the Swiss National Team. Reichenbach coached on season at the North American Hockey Academy in the JWHL. Following her time at the NAHA, she was an assistant coach at Mercyhurst during the 2006-07 season. Reichenbach then had two stints as an assistant coach for the University of Maine’s women’s hockey team (2007-09, 2012-22). Between those stints, she was an assistant coach for three seasons (2009-12) at Dartmouth College.

Ricky Chitwood is in his 13th season as the Mavericks video coordinator. In his role, Chitwood is in charge of capturing game video for Mavericks coaches.

An Anchorage, Alaska, native, Chitwood grew up playing hockey. Outside of the Mavericks, he holds various video positions in and around the Kansas City area. 

Chitwood is a distinguished graduate of Louisiana Tech University, with an extensive background as a commercial airline pilot, certified flight instructor, and accomplished test pilot.

A Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgeon at Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance specializing in sports surgery, complex and revision knee and shoulder surgery, and joint preservation.

 

 

Brian Bauer is in his 4th season as the Mavericks Housing Coordinator. "I do it for the players". Brian enjoys having everything in place and ready, so when the players arrive all they have to do is walk in and unpack. Brian is a life long hockey guy and has been a part of the Mavericks in some capacity for 14 years. Prior to coming in as Housing Coordinator, Brian served the community for 32 years as a Captain with the Raytown Fire Department, before retiring. Brian has a degree in Fire Science as well as a degree in Public Safety Administration.