KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. He learned about the lease extension through relationships he has built working the beat in Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
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The Kansas City Mavericks will remain in Independence for at least three more years after the minor-league hockey team and city confirmed Wednesday that they had agreed to terms on a lease extension at Cable Dahmer Arena.
The Mavericks, who play in the ECHL and serve as an affiliate for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, were founded in 2009 and have always used the 5,800-seat multipurpose arena at the intersections of Interstates 70 and 470 for home games.
Their lease agreement with Independence, which owns and operates the arena, was set to expire June 30, 2026, and there was speculation the team was weighing a move to Olathe.
Loretto Properties, which is owned by Mavericks CEO Lamar Hunt Jr., is building an accessible theme park as part of a $320-million project in Olathe. That development also includes plans for a 5,000-seat youth hockey arena.
The Halo Ridge development, a STAR Bonds project, is set to break ground in the coming months after land-purchase snags delayed initial groundbreaking plans.
Instead, the Mavericks are staying put through at least the 2028-29 season.
The parties signed the lease extension Tuesday, according to a copy of the amended lease agreement KSHB 41 obtained.
The per-game rental fee will remain $6,500, which is the same rate from the most recent extension signed in November 2023. That amendment represented a rate cut from $8,000 per game for regular-season games.
Kansas City (34-8-1-1) currently sits first in the ECHL’s Western Division with a league-best 70 points.
The Mavericks have won back-to-back division titles and claimed regular-season and conference titles two seasons ago.
The Kansas City Comets also call Cable Dahmer Arena home.
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