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Cleveland Monsters
Cleveland Monsters logo
City Cleveland, Ohio
League American Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division North
Founded 1994 (In the IHL)
Operated 2007–present
Home arena Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Colors Blue, black, gold, white
                   
Owner(s) Dan Gilbert
General manager Chris Clark[1]
Head coach Trent Vogelhuber
Captain Brendan Gaunce
Media Radio: WARF
TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes
Online: AHL.TV
Affiliate Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
Franchise history
1994–1995 Denver Grizzlies
1995–2005 Utah Grizzlies
2007–2016 Lake Erie Monsters
2016–present Cleveland Monsters
Previous franchise history
Championships
Division titles 1 (2023–24)
Conference titles 1 (2015–16)
Calder Cups 1 (2015–16)
Hockey current event Current season

The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Monsters play home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland and have one Calder Cup championship, after winning their first title in 2016.

Franchise history[]

Early years[]

The Monsters began in 2006 when the dormant Utah Grizzlies AHL franchise was purchased on May 16, 2006, by a Cleveland ownership group led by Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans.[2] A new AHL team was awarded to Cleveland following the departure of the Cleveland Barons to Worcester, Massachusetts, after the 2005–06 season.[3] With Quicken Loans Arena established as the team's home venue, the Colorado Avalanche was announced on December 17, 2006, as the franchise's first NHL parent club with a five-year agreement.[2][4]

The franchise was officially announced on January 25, 2007, as the Lake Erie Monsters, referring to Bessie, a creature of local folklore. The name was chosen from researching focus groups around the Cleveland area and the logo incorporated the geographical connection in the region with Lake Erie.[5]

Former NHL player Joe Sacco was named as the Lake Erie Monsters first head coach and Dave Oliver was named general manager.[6][7] The Monsters opened their inaugural 2007–08 campaign with a loss at home against the Grand Rapids Griffins on October 6, 2007.[8] The team ended the season 26–41.[9]

At the end of the 2010–11 season, the Monsters qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time in team history. After gaining a 3–1 series lead over the Manitoba Moose in the opening round, the Monsters proceeded to lose the next three consecutive games, losing the series 4–3.[10]

Blue Jackets era[]

AHL (25708678427)

Monsters with the Calder Cup in 2016

On April 17, 2015, the Monsters announced the signing of a multi-year agreement to become the AHL affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets, which took effect in the 2015–16 season.[11] The multi-season affiliation was extended in 2019.[12][13]

The Monsters finished the 2015–16 season by setting a franchise record in points (97) and qualified for the playoffs for the second time in team history.[14] On April 23, 2016, the Monsters defeated their first round opponent, the Rockford IceHogs, 5–3, ending a three-game sweep of their opponent in a best-of-five series.[15][16] The Monsters advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals to play the Grand Rapids Griffins in a best-of-seven series, defeating them 4–2. They then swept the defending Calder Cup Champion Ontario Reign in the Western Conference Finals to reach their first Calder Cup Final in franchise history.[17] On June 11, 2016, the Monsters won the franchise's first Calder Cup in a four-game sweep of the Hershey Bears, with Oliver Bjorkstrand scoring the Cup-winning goal in overtime.[17][18]

This marked Cleveland's first AHL title since the Barons won their last Calder Cup in 1964, and 10th overall for a Cleveland-based AHL team.[17] The Monsters won Game 4 before a sellout crowd of 19,665 people at Quicken Loans Arena — the second largest crowd for a professional hockey game in Ohio behind the 19,941 in a Cleveland Lumberjacks game against the Minnesota Moose in February 1996, and the second largest in Calder Cup playoff history behind the 20,103 Philadelphia Phantoms game four victory in the 2005 Calder Cup Finals over the Chicago Wolves.[19]

On August 9, 2016, the Lake Erie Monsters changed their name to the Cleveland Monsters.[20] The team's Calder Cup winning head coach, Jared Bednar, was then hired by the Colorado Avalanche on August 25.[21] Under their new name and coach John Madden, the Monsters failed to qualify for the playoffs in the 2016–17 season.[22][23][24] In the 2017–18 season, the Monsters earned last place in the Western Conference and failed to make the playoffs.[25] The team returned to the playoffs following the 2018–19 season as the fourth seed in the North Division where they upset the division champion Syracuse Crunch before being swept by the Toronto Marlies in the division finals.[26][27] Head coach John Madden then left the team and was replaced by Mike Eaves.[28][29]

The Monsters 2019–20 season was curtailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[30] The team ended the season in last place in their division with a record of 24–31.[31][32] Owing to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the 2020–21 season was delayed and shortened with no playoffs held in their division.[33] They ended the season in second place within their division.[34]

LakeErieMonsters

Logo as Lake Erie Monsters

Cleveland hockey history[]

The following teams have previously played in Cleveland. The Monsters recognize and honor past Cleveland teams with commemorative banners at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse:[35][36]

Season-by-season results[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for
Goals
against
Standing Year 1st
round
2nd
round
3rd
round
Finals
2007–08 80 26 41 6 7 65 .406 209 276 6th, North 2008 Did not qualify
2008–09 80 34 38 3 5 76 .475 199 218 6th, North 2009 Did not qualify
2009–10 80 34 37 1 8 77 .481 234 257 6th, North 2010 Did not qualify
2010–11 80 44 28 3 5 96 .600 223 206 2nd, North 2011 L, 3–4, MTB
2011–12 76 37 29 3 7 84 .553 189 210 3rd, North 2012 Did not qualify
2012–13 76 35 31 3 7 80 .526 211 220 3rd, North 2013 Did not qualify
2013–14 76 32 33 1 10 75 .492 200 235 4th, North 2014 Did not qualify
2014–15 76 35 29 8 4 82 .539 211 240 4th, Midwest 2015 Did not qualify
2015–16 76 43 22 6 5 97 .638 211 188 2nd, Central 2016 W, 3–0, RFD W, 4–2, GR W, 4–0, ONT W, 4–0, HER
2016–17 76 39 29 4 4 86 .566 195 198 5th, Central 2017 Did not qualify
2017–18 76 25 41 7 3 60 .395 190 258 7th, Central 2018 Did not qualify
2018–19 76 37 29 8 2 84 .553 232 234 4th, North 2019 W, 3–1, SYR L, 0–4, TOR
2019–20 62 24 31 5 2 55 .444 159 192 8th, North 2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 29 16 10 1 2 35 .603 101 86 2nd, Central 2021 No playoffs were held[lower-alpha 1]
2021–22 76 28 35 8 5 69 .454 207 262 7th, North 2022 Did not qualify
2022–23 72 33 32 5 2 73 .507 220 254 6th, North 2023 Did not qualify
2023-24 72 40 24 5 3 88 .611 233 238 1st, North 2024 W, 3-1 BEL W, 3-0 SYR L, 3-4 HER --
  1. Blue Jackets Name Chris Clark Monsters' General Manager (June 18, 2019).
  2. 2.0 2.1 Minor league hockey will return to Cleveland (en). Dayton Daily News (May 17, 2006).
  3. Schudel, Jeff (January 7, 2015). Lake Erie Monsters: AHL says it isn't leaving Cleveland (en-US).
  4. Pro Hockey (en). The Cincinnati Enquirer (December 18, 2006).
  5. Famous sea monsters.
  6. Lake Erie Monsters name Sacco new coach (en) (May 7, 2007).
  7. Oliver lands GM gig in Cleveland (en). The Morning Star (September 9, 2007).
  8. Wall ready to climb (en). Houston Today (October 10, 2007).
  9. East Division Opponents (en). Times Leader (October 7, 2008).
  10. Manoloff, Dennis (April 27, 2011). Lake Erie Monsters eliminated by Manitoba Moose (en).
  11. Blue Jackets now have a Monster partnership (en-US) (April 17, 2015).
  12. Columbus Blue Jackets, Cleveland Monsters Announce Multi-Year Extension of Affiliation Partnership (August 20, 2019).
  13. Blue Jackets, Monsters extend affiliation agreement (August 20, 2019).
  14. TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League.
  15. Monsters open playoffs with victory over Rockford (en) (April 21, 2016).
  16. Monsters clinch first ever playoff series win (en) (April 24, 2016).
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Lake Erie Monsters win Calder Cup Finals in overtime (en-US) (June 11, 2016).
  18. Wright, Branson (June 12, 2016). Lake Erie Monsters win the Calder Cup in OT (en).
  19. Record full house at the Q for Lake Erie Monsters' Calder Cup bid (June 11, 2016).
  20. Lake Erie Monsters change name, get new uniforms (August 9, 2016).
  21. Jared Bednar hired as Avalanche coach (August 25, 2016).
  22. Blue Jackets name John Madden new Monsters coach (en) (August 29, 2016).
  23. Wright, Branson (April 17, 2015). Monsters lose but still remain in playoff hunt (en).
  24. Around The League (en). The Citizens' Voice (April 21, 2017).
  25. TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League.
  26. Monsters oust Crunch with Game 4 shutout (en-US) (April 25, 2019).
  27. Isley, Ryan (May 8, 2019). Cleveland Monsters swept out of AHL playoffs by Toronto Marlies, 6-2 in Game 4 (en).
  28. Eaves to coach AHL team (en). Wisconsin State Journal (June 19, 2019).
  29. Florjancic, Matthew (May 29, 2019). John Madden will not return as Monsters head coach (en-US).
  30. Kaplan, Emily (May 11, 2020). AHL cancels rest of season due to coronavirus (en).
  31. Justice, Camryn (May 11, 2020). Cleveland Monsters' season ends as AHL cancels remaining 2020 games, playoffs (en).
  32. TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League.
  33. Taft, Jay (May 6, 2021). AHL makes it official: No playoff hockey for Rockford IceHogs this year (en-US).
  34. TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League.
  35. 35.0 35.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named LEM banners
  36. Cleveland Monsters hockey banners.
  37. Cleveland hockey history (February 3, 2013).

Players[]

Cleveland Monsters logo

Previous team logo

Current roster[]

Updated April 17, 2024.[1]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
37 Flag of the United States Ahcan, RomanRoman Ahcan

LW L 25 2022 Savage, Minnesota Monsters
77 Flag of Canada Angle, TylerTyler Angle

C L 24 2021 Niagara Falls, Ontario Blue Jackets
47 Flag of Sweden Bjork, MarcusMarcus Bjork

D R 26 2022 Umeå, Sweden Blue Jackets
7 Flag of the United States Blankenburg, NickNick Blankenburg

D R 26 2023 Washington, Michigan Blue Jackets
42 Flag of Canada Butler, CameronCameron Butler

RW R 22 2023 Ottawa, Ontario Blue Jackets
30 Flag of the Czech Republic Cajan, PavelPavel Cajan

G L 21 2022 Prague, Czech Republic Monsters
4 Flag of Canada Ceulemans, CorsonCorson Ceulemans

D R 21 2023 Regina, Saskatchewan Blue Jackets
23 Flag of Canada Christiansen, JakeJake Christiansen

D L 25 2021 West Vancouver, British Columbia Blue Jackets
34 Flag of Canada Clayton, ColeCole Clayton

D R 24 2021 Strathmore, Alberta Monsters
65 Flag of Canada Del Bel Belluz, LucaLuca Del Bel Belluz

C L 20 2023 Woodbridge, Ontario Blue Jackets
21 Flag of the United States Dunne, JoshJosh Dunne

 (A)

C L 25 2021 O'Fallon, Missouri Blue Jackets
64 Flag of Canada Fix-Wolansky, TreyTrey Fix-Wolansky

RW R 25 2019 Edmonton, Alberta Blue Jackets
18 Flag of Canada Gaudet, JakeJake Gaudet

C L 28 2021 Ottawa, Ontario Monsters
73 Flag of Canada Greaves, JetJet Greaves

G L 23 2021 Cambridge, Ontario Blue Jackets
55 Flag of Czech Republic Jiricek, DavidDavid Jiricek

D R 20 2022 Klatovy, Czech Republic Blue Jackets
20 Flag of Slovakia Knazko, SamuelSamuel Knazko

D L 22 2022 Trenčín, Slovakia Blue Jackets
11 Flag of Canada Malatesta, JamesJames Malatesta

LW L 21 2023 Montreal, Quebec Blue Jackets
25 Flag of the United States Matteau, StefanStefan Matteau

C L 30 2023 Chicago, Illinois Monsters
41 Flag of the United States McKown, HunterHunter McKown

C R 22 2023 San Jose, California Blue Jackets
14 Flag of Canada Okabe, ZacharyZachary Okabe

RW R 23 2024 Fukuoka, Japan Monsters
24 Flag of the United States Pearson, JustinJustin Pearson

LW L 26 2023 Nashua, New Hampshire Monsters
82 Flag of Finland Pyyhtia, MikaelMikael Pyyhtia

LW L 22 2023 Turku, Finland Blue Jackets
12 Flag of Canada Sillinger, OwenOwen Sillinger

C L 27 2022 Regina, Saskatchewan Monsters
32 Flag of Canada Subban, MalcolmMalcolm Subban

G L 30 2024 Toronto, Ontario Blue Jackets
5 Flag of Czech Republic Svozil, StanislavStanislav Svozil

D L 21 2023 Přerov, Czech Republic Blue Jackets
6 Flag of the United States Sweezey, BillyBilly Sweezey

 (A)

D R 28 2021 Hanson, Massachusetts Blue Jackets
8 Flag of the United States Whelan, AlexAlex Whelan

RW R 27 2023 Ramsey, New Jersey Monsters
67 Flag of Czech Republic Zboril, JakubJakub Zboril

D L 27 2024 Brno, Czech Republic Blue Jackets

Team captains[]

Retired numbers[]

Monsters banners

Monsters retired numbers and championship banners hanging from the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

No Monsters player has had his number retired. However, the team has retired the numbers of players who have played on past Cleveland franchises to honor the city's hockey history.[2]

Cleveland Monsters retired numbers
No. Player Position Team
1 Johnny Bower G Barons
9 Fred Glover C Barons
15 Jock Callander C Lumberjacks
27 Dave Michayluk RW Lumberjacks

Notable alumni[]

The following players have played both 100 games with the Monsters and 100 games in the National Hockey League:

Team records[]

Single season
Goals: 33, Zac Dalpe (2018–19)
Assists: 50, T.J. Hensick (2009–10)
Points: 71 Trey Fix-Wolansky (2022–23)
Penalty minutes: 215, Daniel Maggio (2014–15)
Wins: 28, Jet Greaves (2023-24)
GAA: 2.11, Cedrick Desjardins (2011–12)
SV%: .932, Cedrick Desjardins (2011–12)
Shutouts: 8, Tyler Weiman (2008–09)
  • Goaltending records need a minimum 25 games played by the goaltender
Playoffs

[3][4]

Goals: 10, Oliver Bjorkstrand (2016)
Assists: 10, Ryan Craig (2016)
Points: 16 (tie), Oliver Bjorkstrand and Lukas Sedlak (2016)
Penalty minutes: 26, Kerby Rychel (2016)
Wins: 9, Anton Forsberg (2016)
GAA: 1.34, Anton Forsberg (2016)
SV%: .949, Anton Forsberg (2016)
Shutouts: 2, Anton Forsberg (2016)
Career
Career goals: Trey Fix-Wolansky, 69
Career assists: Andrew Agozzino, 98
Career points: Trey Fix-Wolansky, 165
Career penalty minutes: Brett Gallant, 663
Career goaltending wins: Calvin Pickard, 60
Career shutouts: Tyler Weiman, 13
Career games: Justin Scott, 336
Firsts and team records

Media[]

Radio

WARF AM 1350 serves as the radio outlet for the team. Play-by-play announcer Tony Brown calls games on-site.[5]

TV

Select Monsters games will be televised, with Bally Sports Great Lakes serving as the outlet. The broadcast team consists of play-by-play broadcaster Tony Brown, former Monsters goaltender and current Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender development coach Brad Thiessen as booth analyst, former Cleveland Lumberjacks player Jock Callander as rinkside analyst, and WHBC afternoon host Kenny Roda as host/locker room reporter. All televised games are also simulcast on the radio.[6]

Mascot and entertainment[]

The Monsters' official mascot is a seagull character named "Sullivan C. Goal" (aka "Sully").[7] Also featured are the "Monsters Hockey Girls" cheerleaders.[8] In March 2023 the Monsters unveiled "The Modelo Experience" which allows fans the opportunity to take ride on a custom made "fanboni" built by Cleveland Power and Performance.[9]

References[]

External links[]

Columbus Blue Jackets
PlayersGMsSeasonsDraft PicksNationwide ArenaHead CoachesSyracuse Crunch (AHL), Elmira Jackals (ECHL), Youngstown Steelhounds (CHL)
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Cleveland Monsters. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).



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