Manchester Monarchs (AHL)

The Manchester Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They played in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They had been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since their founding in 2001.

History
The Monarchs played their first game on October 6, 2001 against the Lowell Lock Monsters, losing 6–3. Their first win was a week later, on October 13, 2001, against the Norfolk Admirals.

The team had been competitive within the division every year of its existence. They won their first Atlantic Division title in 2004–05, but lost in the first round to the Providence Bruins. This continued the streak of first round playoff exits, which the team had experienced in every year of existence, and would come to include the 2005–06 season.

2006–07 was the team's best season to date. With rookie head coach Mark Morris, leading scorers Matt Moulson and Noah Clarke, and former league MVP Jason LaBarbera in goal, the team had their best finish ever, winning the Atlantic Division title with the second-best points total in the league.

Heading into the playoffs, there was doubts within the team, as star goaltender LaBarbera had ended the season injured. The team faced the Worcester Sharks in the first round. With LaBarbera coming back by Game 2, the Monarchs defeated the Sharks in six games, including double-overtime thrillers in Games 2 and 6. The second round brought the Providence Bruins, who put up as much — if not more — of a fight. The Monarchs found a way, however, and defeated the Bruins in six games. This brought the Monarchs to their first ever Eastern Conference finals, but they were swept by the defending champions — the Hershey Bears — in four games.

Following their run in 2007, the Monarchs looked to have holes to fill, as Jason LaBarbera was brought up to the Kings, along with several other players. The 2007–08 season was an up and down one, which ended following a sweep by the Providence Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. 2008–09 was a landmark year for the franchise, but not in the way they would hope. Despite a late surge, the team finished fifth, five points out of the playoffs, for the first time in franchise history.

The first half of the 2009–10 season has proven to be successful for that year's Monarchs squad. Several players have been promoted to Los Angeles, including Rich Clune and Alec Martinez. The Monarchs won their home opener of the 2010–11 season, as David Meckler scored the game-winning goal in front of 9,035 fans at the Verizon Wireless Arena on October 16, 2010. The game was also noteworthy as left wing Brandon Kozun and center Justin Azevedo were awarded penalty shots, the first time in franchise history that two players were awarded penalty shots in the same game.

The Manchester Monarchs have made it to the playoffs all but one season since coming into existence, but have yet to win the Calder Cup.

For the 2014–15 season, the Monarchs ditched the purple and gold colors of the Los Angeles Lakers (and former Kings' colors) that had been with the team since its inception, and adopted the same black and silver color scheme that the Kings have used since 2011.

On January 29, 2015, it was confirmed by the AHL via press conference that the Monarchs will relocate from Manchester, N.H., to Ontario, California. In return the Ontario Reign of the ECHL will move to Manchester to become the new ECHL Manchester Monarchs, the first ECHL team to play in New England. The Monarchs finished the regular season winning the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the best record of the AHL, with Brian O'Neill receiving the Les Cunningham Award as Most Valuable Player. The playoffs saw the Monarchs losing only three games among the Eastern teams, leading to the team's first Richard F. Canning Trophy as conference champions to qualify for the 2015 Calder Cup final. The Monarchs beat the Utica Comets 4-1 to win the Calder Cup in their last season in New Hampshire. They became the first team since the New Brunswick Hawks in 1982 to win the Calder Cup in their last game of existence, and fourth overall (along with the Pittsburgh Hornets in 1967 and the Buffalo Bisons in 1970).

Single season

 * Goals: 46 Mike Cammalleri (2004–05)
 * Assists: 63 Mike Cammalleri (2004–05)
 * Points: 109 Mike Cammalleri (2004–05)
 * Penalty minutes: 322 Joe Rullier (2004–05)
 * GAA: 1.93 Adam Hauser (2004–05)
 * SV%: .933 Adam Hauser (2004–05)

Career

 * Career goals: 85 Noah Clarke
 * Career assists: 122 Gabe Gauthier
 * Career points: 199 Noah Clarke
 * Career penalty minutes: 844 Joe Rullier
 * Career goaltending wins: 84 Martin Jones
 * Career shutouts: 15 Adam Hauser
 * Career games: 414 Andrew Campbell

Notable Monarchs

 * Cristobal Huet
 * Dustin Brown
 * Mike Cammalleri
 * Jonathan Bernier
 * Teddy Purcell
 * Matt Moulson
 * Jason LaBarbera
 * Jean-Sebastien Aubin
 * Andrew Campbell
 * Kevin Westgarth
 * Richard Clune
 * Dwight King