For a new Junior Hockey franchise, there are a number of exciting firsts. Another historic first came to fruition this week as the Mavericks ownership group announced on Monday morning that forward, Mitch Gillespie, became the first member of the Mavericks' inaugural season roster to commit to play college hockey. Mitch will be joining the Kent State University ACHA D1 roster for the 2020-21 season. Gillespie, a Hilliard, OH native started his junior hockey career with the Boston Junior Rangers of the EHL, where he spent a season and a half, before returning home to join the Mavericks' roster for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Gillespie quickly made an impact and took on a leadership role as he brought his junior hockey experience to the team. After a few short weeks with the team, Gillespie was named alternate captain for the remainder of the season.  Gillespie's leadership qualities and work ethic did not go unnoticed by the Mavericks Coaching staff. Assistant Coach, Brian Thompson, worked closely with Mitch last season, and spoke highly of his contribution. "Mitch was a tremendous addition to our team. He is a high character guy who stepped into a leadership position almost immediately, in large part due to his incredible work ethic. He brought speed, tenacity, and a veteran presence to our team and I'm excited to see what his future holds for him as it will most certainly be bright". Congrats Mitch and good luck with the Golden Flashes!