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by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News There has been so much written about Brett Ferguson, the Kansas City Mavericks new assistant coach, members of the Orange Army may feel like they know the personable Iowa native before he and his family arrive in late August.But here's an interesting fact: Ferguson was named after Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame icon George Brett. “That's right,” Ferguson said. “My dad coached in Iowa, and every chance we had, we drove down to Kansas City to catch a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium. “He and my mom didn't want to name me George, so they went with Brett. I was proud of my first name because I'm a huge Kansas City Royals fan and George was my favorite player. “And getting to watch the team play in the George Brett era made my love of the Royals even stronger.” So strong, that he shares his love of baseball alongside his passion for hockey. “I played baseball at Indian Hills Community College and the University of South Carolina Aiken,” Ferguson said. “After that, I began soaking in all the knowledge I could from my dad and grandpa.” Brett’s grandfather, Lorne Ferguson, played eight seasons in the NHL during the 1950s, suiting up for three of the league’s Original Six teams—the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. His father, Bob Ferguson, has dedicated his professional life to the sport. A 1974 NHL Draft pick by the New York Islanders, Bob transitioned into coaching, where he won five USHL championships and back-to-back John Brophy Awards (Coach of the Year) awards with the Florida Everblades. Since 2015, he has served as the general manager of the San Diego Gulls. Mavericks head coach Tad O'Had received more than 80 resumes after former associate coach Riley Weselowski left the Mavericks to take over as the head coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones. “I 'm so happy for Riley,” O'Had said. “He's going to do great things with the Cyclones. “One of the first resumes I looked at was Brett's. I identified early on what he could bring to the club. He rose to the top of the list right away.” Ferguson arrives in Kansas City with 15 years of diverse and high-level experience across the ECHL, AHL and NHL. His coaching background includes time as an assistant coach with the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL), video coach for both the Norfolk Admirals and San Diego Gulls (AHL) and a promotion to assistant coach with the Gulls. Most recently, he served as the video coach for the Anaheim Ducks (NHL) and was named interim head coach of the Allen Americans (ECHL) last season. “The first time we played in Cable Dahmer Arena I was amazed by the fans, and how the Mavericks turned each game into an experience – like you'd expect from the NHL," Ferguson said. "The arena is so loud, and it's going to part of the home team, where they will be cheering for me, rather than against my team."Ferguson and his wife Amanda, and their three sons Caleb 9, Aiden 6 and Reid 3, are all excited about the move to Kansas City. “We're coming sometime in late August so we can find a place to live and enroll Caleb and Aiden in school,” Ferguson said. "The boys are excited about their new home." When asked about raising three boys, the personable coach quipped, “Some days I have to put on my referee's jersey to keep them in control. “It's an exciting time for me and my family. I can't wait to begin working with Tad. His teams the past two years have been in the ECHL championship series (2024) and the Western Conference championship series (2025). “We're going to have a solid core of players from last year's team and we're looking at bringing in some exciting new players." O'Had shares the passion of his new coach. “Believe me, the Mavericks are as excited about this hire as Brett and his family are,” O'Had said. “He has a vast amount of knowledge about the game and he's a player's coach.“The guys are going to be excited about working with Brett, and so am I.”
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