Cleveland Monsters

Cleveland Monsters
2018–19 AHL season
City Cleveland, Ohio
League American Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division North
Founded 1994 (In the IHL)
Operated 2007–present
Home arena Quicken Loans Arena
Colors Wine, black, gold, white, blue
                        
Owner(s) Dan Gilbert
General manager Bill Zito[1]
Head coach John Madden
Media Radio: WMMS-HD2
TV: Fox Sports Ohio, SportsTime Ohio
Affiliates Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
Franchise history
1994–1995 Denver Grizzlies
1995–2005 Utah Grizzlies
2007–2016 Lake Erie Monsters
2016–present Cleveland Monsters
Championships
Conference Championships 1 (2015–16)
Calder Cups 1 (2015–16)

The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Quicken Loans Arena 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. A new AHL team was awarded to Cleveland following the departure of the Cleveland Barons to Worcester, Massachusetts, after the 2005–06 season. 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]

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.[3] The Monsters do not recognize any past links to the Grizzlies (including the Grizzlies' two Turner Cups) and promote themselves as having begun in 2007.

Former NHL player Joe Sacco was named as the Lake Erie Monsters first head coach. The Monsters opened their inaugural 2007–08 campaign at home against the Grand Rapids Griffins on October 6, 2007, with Craig Billington acting as the Monsters General Manager.[4]

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.[5]

Blue Jackets era

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. The affiliation was among several that offseason that brought AHL and NHL franchise affiliations geographically closer together.[6]

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. On April 23, 2016, the Monsters defeated their first round opponent, the Rockford IceHogs 5–3, capping a three-game sweep of their opponent in a best-of-five series. The Monsters advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals to play the Grand Rapids Griffins in a best-of-seven series, defeating them 4–2 in six games. 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.[7] 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.

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. The Monsters won Game 4 before a sellout crowd of 19,665 people at Quicken Loans Arena—the second largest crowd ever to see a professional hockey game in Ohio behind the 19,941 who witnessed the Cleveland Lumberjacks square off against the Minnesota Moose on 2/3/96, and the second largest in Calder Cup playoff history behind the 20,103 who saw the Philadelphia Phantoms win Game 4 of the 2005 Calder Cup Finals over the Chicago Wolves.[8]

On August 9, 2016, the Lake Erie Monsters changed their name to the Cleveland Monsters.[9] Under their new name, the Monsters failed to qualify for the playoffs in the 2016–17 season. In 2017–18 season, the Monsters were the first team eliminated from playoff contention, failing to make the post-season for the ninth time in 11 seasons. Cleveland earned last place in the Western Conference in 2017–18.

Cleveland hockey history

The following teams have previously played in Cleveland. The Monsters recognize and honor past Cleveland teams with commemorative banners at Quicken Loans Arena:[10]

Season-by-season results

Players

Current roster

Updated October 15, 2018.[12]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
11 Russia Vitaly Abramov RW L 20 2018 Chelyabinsk, Russia Blue Jackets
35 Canada Jean-Francois Berube G L 27 2018 Repentigny, Quebec Blue Jackets
57 United States Paul Bittner LW L 21 2016 Crookston, Minnesota Blue Jackets
25 United States Alex Broadhurst C L 25 2015 New Lenox, Illinois Blue Jackets
53 Sweden Gabriel Carlsson D L 21 2017 Örebro, Sweden Blue Jackets
6 United States Ryan Collins D R 22 2017 Bloomington, Minnesota Blue Jackets
3 United States Tommy Cross (A) D L 29 2018 Simsbury, Connecticut Blue Jackets
28 Canada Zac Dalpe (A) RW R 28 2017 Paris, Ontario Blue Jackets
10 United States Dan DeSalvo RW R 26 2018 Rolling Meadows, Illinois Monsters
41 Canada Maxime Fortier RW R 20 2018 Montreal, Quebec Blue Jackets
44 Canada Brett Gallant LW L 29 2015 Summerside, Prince Edward Island Monsters
90 United States Nathan Gerbe (C) C L 31 2018 Oxford, Michigan Blue Jackets
80 Latvia Matiss Kivlenieks G L 22 2017 Riga, Latvia Blue Jackets
38 Russia Nikita Korostelev RW R 21 2018 Moscow, Russia Monsters
16 United States Miles Koules C R 24 2017 Los Angeles, California Monsters
55 Canada Mark Letestu C R 33 2018 Elk Point, Alberta Blue Jackets
72 United States Ryan MacInnis C L 22 2018 St. Louis, Missouri Blue Jackets
24 Canada Michael Prapavessis D L 22 2018 Oakville, Ontario Blue Jackets
19 United States Eric Robinson LW L 23 2018 Bellmawr, New Jersey Blue Jackets
20 Canada Justin Scott RW L 23 2016 Burlington, Ontario Blue Jackets
88 United States Kole Sherwood RW R 21 2017 New Albany, Ohio Blue Jackets
4 United States Blake Siebenaler D R 22 2016 Fort Wayne, Indiana Blue Jackets
18 Canada Dillon Simpson D L 25 2018 Edmonton, Alberta Blue Jackets
26 United States Doyle Somerby D L 24 2017 Marblehead, Massachusetts Blue Jackets
82 Sweden Kevin Stenlund C R 22 2018 Stockholm, Sweden Blue Jackets
39 Canada Brad Thiessen G L 32 2015 Aldergrove, British Columbia Monsters
27 Switzerland Calvin Thurkauf C L 21 2017 Zug, Switzerland Blue Jackets
21 Canada Sam Vigneault C L 23 2017 Baie-Comeau, Quebec Blue Jackets
13 United States Trent Vogelhuber RW R 30 2018 Dublin, Ohio Monsters
5 United States Justin Wade D R 24 2018 Aurora, Illinois Monsters

Captains

NameYears
Mark Rycroft2007–2008
Wyatt Smith2008
Brian Willsie2008–2010
David Liffiton2010–2012
Bryan Lerg2012–2014
Brian Sutherby2013
Bruno Gervais2014–2015
Ryan Craig2015–2017
Nathan Gerbe2018–

Retired numbers

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.[10]

NameNumber
Johnny Bower1 (Barons)
Fred Glover9 (Barons)
Jock Callander15 (Lumberjacks)

Team records

Single season

Goals: 30, Andrew Agozzino (2014–15)
Assists: 50, T.J. Hensick (2009–10)
Points: 70 T.J. Hensick (2009–10), Ben Walter (2010–11)
Penalty Minutes: 215, Daniel Maggio (2014–15)
Wins: 27 Anton Forsberg (2016–17)
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

[13][14]

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: Andrew Agozzino, 67
Career Assists: Andrew Agozzino, 98
Career Points: Andrew Agozzino, 165
Career Penalty Minutes: Daniel Maggio, 522
Career Goaltending Wins: Calvin Pickard, 60
Career Shutouts: Tyler Weiman, 13
Career Games: Cameron Gaunce, 264

Firsts and franchise records

  • Franchise First Game: October 6, 2007. Grand Rapids Griffins 3, Lake Erie Monsters 2
  • Franchise First Win: October 20, 2007. Lake Erie Monsters 3, Syracuse Crunch 2.
  • Franchise First Goal: October 6, 2007. Grand Rapids Griffins 3, Lake Erie Monsters 2. Goal scored by Matt Hussey
  • Franchise First Shutout: November 15, 2007. Jason Bacashihua. Lake Erie Monsters 2, Quad City Flames 0.
  • Franchise First Hat Trick: November 17, 2007. Chris Stewart. Lake Erie Monsters 5, Toronto Marlies 3.
  • Franchise Most Goals in a Game: December 3, 2010. 4-Patrick Rissmiller. Lake Erie Monsters 6, Chicago Wolves 3.
  • Franchise Most Wins in a Season: 44 (2010–11)
  • Franchise Most Home Wins in a Season: 25 (2015–16)
  • Franchise Most Points in a Season: 97 (2015–16)
  • Franchise Most Games Won in a Row: 8 (2010–11)
  • Franchise First Playoff Game: April 16, 2011. (vs Manitoba Moose)
  • Franchise First Playoff Goal: April 16, 2011 (by Matthew Ford)
  • Franchise First Playoff Win: April 16, 2011 (Monsters 6, Manitoba Moose 4)
  • Franchise First Playoff Series Win: April 23, 2016 (Monsters win series 3-0, Rockford IceHogs)
  • Franchise First Western Conference Championship: May 26, 2016 (Monsters win series 4-0, Ontario Reign)
  • Franchise First Calder Cup Championship: June 11, 2016 (Monsters win series 4-0, Hershey Bears)

Media

All Monsters radio broadcasts will air on WMMS 100.7 FM HD-2/W265BT 99.1 FM (collectively known as ALT 99.1)[15] Tony Brown serves as the play-by-play broadcaster.

Select Monsters games will be televised, with SportsTime Ohio serving as the outlet. The broadcast team consists of play-by-play broadcaster Tony Brown, former Cleveland Lumberjacks player Jock Callander as analyst, and WHBC afternoon host Kenny Roda as rink side/locker room reporter. All televised games are also simulcast on the radio.[16]

Mascot and entertainment

The Monsters' official mascot is a seagull character named "Sullivan C. Goal" (aka "Sully").[17] Also featured are the "Monsters Hockey Girls" cheerleaders.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Blue Jackets assistant G.M. Bill Zito named Monsters GM". Columbus Blue Jackets. 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  2. ↑ "Lake Erie Monsters history". Case Western Reserve University. 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  3. ↑ "Famous sea monsters". Sea Monster.org. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
  4. ↑ "Monsters front office". Lake Erie Monsters. 2014-10-10. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  5. ↑ "Monsters' stats". JustSportsStats.com. 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  6. ↑ "Monsters affiliate with the Columbus Blue Jackets". Lake Erie Monsters. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  7. ↑ "Monsters Move On With 4-3 OT Win". BlueJackets Xtra. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  8. ↑ Record full house at the Q for Lake Erie Monsters' Calder Cup bid - Cleveland.com (Plain Dealer)
  9. ↑ "Lake Erie Monsters change name, get new uniforms". KLTV. August 9, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 "Quicken Loans Arena hockey banners". Stadium Journey.com. 2014-06-07. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  11. ↑ "Cleveland hockey history". Lake Erie Monsters. 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  12. ↑ "Cleveland Monsters – Team roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  13. ↑ http://theahl.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=top_scorers&season_id=53&tournament_id=0&division_id=-1
  14. ↑ http://theahl.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=top_goalies&season_id=53&tournament_id=0&division_id=-1
  15. ↑ Alt 99.1 Cleveland.com
  16. ↑ Monsters broadcast schedule - Cleveland Monsters.com
  17. ↑ "Sully, the Monsters official Mascot". Lake Erie Monsters. 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  18. ↑ "Monsters Hockey Girls". Lake Erie Monsters. 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.