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Independence, MO —
The Missouri Mavericks have signed forward Jason Dixon and goaltender Austin Lee. The latest additions bring the Mavericks 2012 roster to a total of 14 players.
The CHL season will begin on Oct. 19 and the Mavericks home opener is slated for Nov. 3 at Independence Events Center.
Dixon, 27, is entering his third season in the CHL and fourth overall. He played 62 games with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees last season and set career-highs with 41 points and 13 goals. The Belle River, Ontario, native won a championship in Germany in 2010-11 with ERC Sonthofen where he averaged more than a point per contest with 35 points in 30 games.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward started his career with the Laredo Bucks in 2008-09 when he finished with 40 points on 11 goals and 29 assists in 64 games.
“Jason Dixon brings a good skill set and grittiness that we believe will make us a tougher team to play against next season,” Mavs coach Scott Hillman said following a Tuesday night Fantasy Camp session at the Events Center. “He is a player that earns the respect from his teammates through his determination and tenacity every night. And our fans are going to love him. We’ve had our eye on Jason for a while.”
Lee, 22, will begin his rookie season with the Mavericks after playing college hockey for the Minnesota State University Mavericks.
“He’s going from one Mavericks team to our Mavericks team,” Hillman said. “Austin is a young goaltender that we have studied closely and believe will make a successful transition into professional hockey. He is a big goaltender who anticipates well and has exceptional lateral movement. We are excited to see him in Missouri.”
The Bloomington, Minn., native is one of only a handful of players in the history of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) who has accrued four WCHA All-Academic and four WCHA Scholar Athlete awards.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound goaltender finished his collegiate career with a 16-32-3 record, .909 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average (GAA). He was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week twice in his career.
Prior to playing at Minnesota State, Lee was 24-7-5 with a 2.61 GAA and .925 save percentage in 38 games played with the North American Hockey League’s (NAHL) Fargo-Moorhead Jets. He was also awarded the 2005-06 Frank Brimsek Award as the top high school senior goaltender in the state of Minnesota.
“Scott has done a tremendous job of identifying and securing top young talent this offseason,” Mavericks president and general manager Brent Thiessen said. “These two players represent another example of Scott’s efforts.”
n The Mavericks will host their third annual Fan Fest on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Events Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.
The Missouri Mavericks have signed forward Jason Dixon and goaltender Austin Lee. The latest additions bring the Mavericks 2012 roster to a total of 14 players.
The CHL season will begin on Oct. 19 and the Mavericks home opener is slated for Nov. 3 at Independence Events Center.
Dixon, 27, is entering his third season in the CHL and fourth overall. He played 62 games with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees last season and set career-highs with 41 points and 13 goals. The Belle River, Ontario, native won a championship in Germany in 2010-11 with ERC Sonthofen where he averaged more than a point per contest with 35 points in 30 games.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward started his career with the Laredo Bucks in 2008-09 when he finished with 40 points on 11 goals and 29 assists in 64 games.
“Jason Dixon brings a good skill set and grittiness that we believe will make us a tougher team to play against next season,” Mavs coach Scott Hillman said following a Tuesday night Fantasy Camp session at the Events Center. “He is a player that earns the respect from his teammates through his determination and tenacity every night. And our fans are going to love him. We’ve had our eye on Jason for a while.”
Lee, 22, will begin his rookie season with the Mavericks after playing college hockey for the Minnesota State University Mavericks.
“He’s going from one Mavericks team to our Mavericks team,” Hillman said. “Austin is a young goaltender that we have studied closely and believe will make a successful transition into professional hockey. He is a big goaltender who anticipates well and has exceptional lateral movement. We are excited to see him in Missouri.”
The Bloomington, Minn., native is one of only a handful of players in the history of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) who has accrued four WCHA All-Academic and four WCHA Scholar Athlete awards.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound goaltender finished his collegiate career with a 16-32-3 record, .909 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average (GAA). He was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week twice in his career.
Prior to playing at Minnesota State, Lee was 24-7-5 with a 2.61 GAA and .925 save percentage in 38 games played with the North American Hockey League’s (NAHL) Fargo-Moorhead Jets. He was also awarded the 2005-06 Frank Brimsek Award as the top high school senior goaltender in the state of Minnesota.
“Scott has done a tremendous job of identifying and securing top young talent this offseason,” Mavericks president and general manager Brent Thiessen said. “These two players represent another example of Scott’s efforts.”
n The Mavericks will host their third annual Fan Fest on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Events Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.MissouriMavericks.com.
