Staff

Lamar Hunt, Jr. is the founder of the Loretto Companies, LLC, a real estate development company and the Loretto Foundation, LLC, a private charitable organization. Both companies are based in the greater Kansas City area. Lamar is a member of the founding family of the Kansas City Chiefs and is also the owner of the Kansas City Mavericks, a franchise member of the ECHL. He serves on the board of directors of Hunt Midwest Enterprises, a real estate development company based in Kansas City, MO. 

Lamar also serves on the board of directors of the Bright Futures Fund and is on the Board of Trustees for St. Michael the Archangel Catholic High School in Lee’s Summit, MO. Lamar and his wife Rita, are parents of nine children and grandparents of eleven grandchildren, and are passionate about supporting Catholic education and advocating for the unborn in our community..

As COO of Loretto Holdings, Arkell has been involved with the team since it was acquired by Loretto Sports Ventures in 2014. Arkell is very active in day-to-day operations of the Mavericks. He enjoys working to grow the sport of hockey in Kansas City and lift the Mavericks brand as the premiere hockey team in Kansas City. As a Kansas City native, Arkell has strong ties to the community and is very active in both the non-profit world and the business community on both sides of the state line.

Mike Cukyne enters his fifth season as Mavericks President in 2024-25. In his role, Cukyne oversees the day-to-day business operations of the team and Mavericks front office staff. Cukyne came to the Mavericks from the Kansas City Chiefs where he served as a Vice President from 2018-21 and was a member of the organization as the club won multiple AFC Championships and appeared in two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl LIV. Cukyne led all content efforts for the Chiefs including the team’s media, marketing, production, digital and social platforms and game operations. Entering the professional sports world from the media business, Cukyne spent 22 years with the Meredith Corporation in a variety of progressive roles, culminating as the Vice President and General Manager of KCTV5, Kansas City’s CBS affiliate, as well as Vice President of Digital Media for Meredith's 18 television stations across the country. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Cukyne currently resides in Overland Park, Kan., with his wife and two children.

Josh LeMaster begins his third season as the Mavericks Director of Finance and Administration. LeMaster came from the Kansas City Royals, where he spent five years as the team’s Senior Accountant and Account Manager. A Huxley, Iowa, native, LeMaster is an Iowa State graduate and a member of the Iowa Air National Guard, where he has been a Master Sergeant for 15 years. LeMaster resides in Kearney, Mo., with his wife, Katie, and two children.

Rowe begins his second season as the Mavericks Director of Ticket sales in 2024-25. He joined the Mavericks in the 2020-21 season as an Operations Intern and transitioned to the ticket staff prior to the 2021-22 season. A University of Kansas graduate, Rowe is a lifelong Kansas City sports fan and currently resides in Leawood, Kan.

A Blue Springs, Mo., native, Anthony Cooper begins his third season as an Account Executive for the Mavericks. Cooper interned with the Kansas City Monarchs during the 2022 American Association of Professional Baseball Season and is a University of Central Missouri graduate.

Michael Bledsoe is entering his second season as an Account Executive for the Kansas City Mavericks. He is a 2022 University of Central Missouri graduate – majoring in sport management with a double minor in business administration and digital media production. A Blue Springs, Mo., native, Bledsoe was a stadium operations intern for the Kansas City Monarchs in 2022.

James Hopkins is in his second season with the Mavericks as the team’s Senior Sales Director of Corporate Sponsorship. With over a decade of sales experience across various industries, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the role and the team. Originally from Chicago, James relocated to the Kansas City area during his formative years, later graduating from the University of Kansas. His lifelong passion for hockey, cultivated through years of playing the sport, fuels his commitment to the growth of both hockey and the success of the Mavericks organization. James currently resides in Kansas City with his wife, Christina.

Tatum Evans begins her second year with the Mavericks as the team’s Manager of Partnership Activations. Evans is a Kansas City native and a double major graduate from the University of Central Missouri. Upon graduation, Evans returned to her alma mater and also coached high school tennis.  She and her husband ran a successful business from 2010-2020 with offices and connections across the country.  More recently, Evans and her family resided in Las Vegas where she was heavily involved in Las Vegas Youth Hockey and the education community.  Evans now resides in Kansas City with her husband and son.

Joe Benson is in his third season as a Corporate Sales Executive for the Mavericks after previously working as the Director of Communications and Broadcasting for the Corpus Christi (Texas) IceRays of the NAHL. An Andover, Mass., native, Benson currently resides in Kansas City.

A 2023 University of Kansas graduate, Lauren Kelley begins her second season with the Mavericks as the team’s sales and marketing coordinator. At KU, Kelley majored in marketing with a minor in entrepreneurship while also being the Assistant Director of Recruitment in the Xi Chapter of Sigma Kappa. Kelley currently resides in Shawnee, Kan.

Kenzie Venneman enters her second season as the Manager of Digital and Social Media for the Mavericks. Venneman is a Pittsburg, Kan., native and a 2023 University of Kansas graduate. She was a 2022-23 Mavericks intern and was the KU women’s club volleyball president. In her free time, Venneman is a personal trainer.

Ben DeLaForest begins his first year with the Mavericks as the team’s Manager of Public Relations. DeLaForest graduated from Benedictine College in 2024 with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Mass Communications and Journalism. He was also a pitcher for the baseball team at Benedictine. Before joining the Mavericks, Ben interned with the St. Paul Saints for two seasons. As a Minnesota native, he grew up surrounded by the game of hockey and now brings his passion for the sport to Kansas City.

Matt Naunheim enters his first year with the Mavericks as the team’s Graphic Designer. Matt graduated from the University of Missouri (Columbia) in 2024. Before joining the Mavericks, Matt interned with Mizzou Football during their Cotton Bowl winning season. As a St. Louis native, he grew up surrounded by sports and now brings his passion and love for sports to Kansas City.

Nate Chaiprathum begins his first year as the Manager of Production and Content for the Mavericks. A 2022 graduate of Missouri State University with a degree in Digital Film and Television Production, Nate honed his skills in freelance videography and photography during his college years, collaborating with a diverse range of clients and marketing agencies.

The 2024-25 season marks Ludovici's forth season with the Mavericks as the team's Director of Game Operations. She grew up outside of Tampa, Fla., and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Telecommunications with a specialization in Production. She began her career with the Augusta (S.C.) GreenJackets, the Low-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, as their Multimedia Video and Creative Services Specialist. She worked two full seasons in baseball with many concerts and events in between.

Mick Deaver, a University of Missouri graduate, begins his second season as the Mavericks Manager of Community Relations. Deaver came to the Mavericks after spending time as the St. Louis Blues Fan Development and Community Relations Intern. A lifelong hockey player, Deaver was involved in a fluke hockey accident at the age of 17, which left him as a C5 quadriplegic. However, with hard work and blessings, Deaver has regained mobility with the use of a walker and crutches and has created his own non-profit 501(c)3 called the BeStrong29 Foundation to help those who have been affected by spinal cord injuries.

With over 20 years of experience in retail management, wholesale apparel sales and visual merchandising, Lisa Hamilton is in her third season as the Mavericks team store manager. Originally from Iowa, Hamilton has returned to the Midwest after spending the previous 20 years living in Arizona. Educated at the University of Iowa and the Art Institute of Chicago, Hamilton currently resides in Grain Valley, Mo.