Durocher, VanWormer head back to Mavericks

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Kansas City Mavericks have signed forwards Corey Durocher and Jared VanWormer for the 2018-19 season.

The Mavericks are the ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames and the American Hockey League's Stockton Heat.

Durocher and VanWormer helped form a second line that carried the Mavericks on the offensive end down the stretch, with the duo combining for 37 points over the team’s final 22 games of the season.

Durocher, 26, was acquired in a future considerations deal with the Idaho Steelheads on Feb. 12. He was a sixth-round pick by the Florida Panthers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and will be entering his second full professional season. Last year he totaled 24 points (10g-14a) while splitting time between Kansas City, Idaho and Brampton.

The Ottawa, Ontario native played collegiately at Carleton University of Canada’s USports and totaled 83 points (34g-49a) in four seasons.

VanWormer, 25, finished his first full season in the ECHL as the league’s top power-play threat, finishing the season with a Mavericks team record 14 goals on the man-advantage. He amassed 42 points (22g-20a) in 2017-18, good for the third-best total on the Mavericks’ roster. He also led the team with five game-winning goals. He first played for the Mavericks to close out the 2016-17 season, adding one assist in his brief first taste of ECHL hockey.

The Traverse City, Michigan native played collegiately at Ferris State, where he captained the Bulldogs during his senior season in 2016-17. He posted 60 points (25g-35a) in 136 games during his tenure in the NCAA.