The Cleveland Monsters are a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team based in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. They are the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) affiliate of the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). The Monsters play home games at Rocket Arena in

downtown Cleveland Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The economic and cultural center of the city and the Cleveland metropolitan area, it is Cleveland's oldest district, with its Public Square, Cleveland, Publi ...

and have one Calder Cup championship, after winning their first title in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

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 The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

and Quicken Loans. A new AHL team was awarded to Cleveland following the departure of the Cleveland Barons to

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, after the 2005–06 season. With Quicken Loans Arena established as the team's home venue, the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

was announced on December 17, 2006, as the franchise's first NHL parent club with a five-year agreement. 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 Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. Former NHL player

Joe Sacco Joe Sacco (; born October 2, 1960) is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist. He is credited as the first artist to practice rigorous, investigative journalism using the comics form, also referred to as comics journalism. His groundbrea ...

was named as the Lake Erie Monsters first head coach and Dave Oliver was named general manager. The Monsters opened their inaugural 2007–08 campaign with a loss at home against the Grand Rapids Griffins on October 6, 2007. The team ended the season 26–41. 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 The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre. The fran ...

in the opening round, the Monsters proceeded to lose the next three consecutive games, losing the series 4–3.

Blue Jackets era

On April 17, 2015, the Monsters announced the signing of a multi-year agreement to become the AHL affiliate for the

, which took effect in the 2015–16 season. The multi-season affiliation was extended in 2019. 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, ending 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. They then swept the defending Calder Cup Champion

Ontario Reign The Ontario Reign are a professional ice hockey team based in Ontario, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Arena. The fra ...

in the Western Conference Finals to reach their first Calder Cup Final in franchise history. On June 11, 2016, the Monsters won the franchise's first Calder Cup in a four-game sweep of the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

, with Oliver Bjorkstrand scoring the Cup-winning goal in overtime. This marked Cleveland's first AHL title since the

Barons Barons may refer to: *Baron (plural), a rank of nobility *Barons (surname), a Latvian surname *Barons, Alberta, Canada * ''Barons'' (TV series), a 2022 Australian drama series * ''The Barons'', a 2009 Belgian film Sports * Birmingham Barons, a Min ...

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 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 The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played most of its home games at the Spectrum (arena), Spectrum ...

game four victory in the 2005 Calder Cup Finals over the Chicago Wolves. On August 9, 2016, the Lake Erie Monsters changed their name to the Cleveland Monsters. The team's Calder Cup winning head coach, Jared Bednar, was then hired by the

on August 25. Under their new name and coach John Madden, the Monsters failed to qualify for the playoffs in the 2016–17 season. In the 2017–18 season, the Monsters earned last place in the Western Conference and failed to make the playoffs. 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 The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team based in Syracuse, New York. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. They play in they home games at the Upstate Medical Univer ...

before being swept by the Toronto Marlies in the division finals. Head coach John Madden then left the team and was replaced by Mike Eaves. The Monsters 2019–20 season was curtailed by the onset of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The team ended the season in last place in their division with a record of 24–31. Owing to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the 2020–21 season was delayed and shortened with no playoffs held in their division. They ended the season in second place within their division.

Cleveland hockey history

The following teams have previously played in Cleveland. The Monsters recognize and honor past Cleveland teams with commemorative banners at Rocket Arena: *

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

/ Falcons/

(1929–1936 IHL; 1936–1973 AHL) — nine-time Calder Cup champions *

Cleveland Crusaders The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1975–76 WHA season, 1976. Their home ice was the Cleveland Arena from 1972 to 1974, and t ...

(1972–1976) WHA * Cleveland Barons (1976–1978)

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

* Cleveland Lumberjacks (1992–2001) IHL * Cleveland Barons (2001–2006) AHL

Season-by-season results

Players

Current roster

Updated March 28, 2025.

Team captains

Mark Rycroft Mark A. Rycroft (born July 12, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche. Rycroft is currently a color commentator for Altitude S ...

, 2007–08 * Wyatt Smith, 2008 * Brian Willsie, 2008–10 * David Liffiton, 2010–12 * Bryan Lerg, 2012–14 * Brian Sutherby, 2013 * Bruno Gervais, 2014–15 * Ryan Craig, 2015–17 * Nathan Gerbe, 2018–19 * Zac Dalpe, 2019–21 * Dillon Simpson, 2021–2023 * Brendan Gaunce, 2023–2024 * Stefan Matteau, 2024–2025

Retired numbers

200px, Monsters retired numbers and championship banners hanging from the rafters of Rocket Arena 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.

Notable alumni

The following players have played both 100 games with the Monsters and 100 games in the

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: 30, 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 :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, 86 :Career assists: Trey Fix-Wolansky, 113 :Career points: Trey Fix-Wolansky, 199 :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 *First game: October 6, 2007, vs. Grand Rapids Griffins *First win: October 20, 2007, 3–2 vs.

*First goal: Matt Hussey (October 6, 2007 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins) *First shutout: Jason Bacashihua (November 15, 2007, vs. Quad City Flames) *First hat trick: Chris Stewart (November 17, 2007, vs. Toronto Marlies) *Most goals in a game: 4 by Patrick Rissmiller (December 3, 2010, vs. Chicago Wolves) *Most wins in a season: 44 (2010–11) *Most home wins in a season: 25 (2015–16) *Most points in a season: 97 (2015–16) *Most games won in a row: 10 (2024–25) *First playoff game: April 16, 2011. (vs.

) *First playoff goal: April 16, 2011 (by Matthew Ford) *First playoff win: April 16, 2011 (Monsters 6,

4) *First playoff series win: April 23, 2016 (Monsters won series 3–0 vs. Rockford IceHogs) *First Western Conference championship: May 26, 2016 (Monsters won series 4–0 vs.

) *First Calder Cup championship: June 11, 2016 (Monsters won series 4–0 vs.

)

Media

Radio WARF AM 1350 serves as the radio outlet for the team, with select games simulcast on sister station

WTAM WTAM (1100 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, that airs a news/talk and sports radio format, commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of s ...

AM 1100/FM 106.9. Play-by-play announcer Tony Brown calls games on-site. TV Over 20 Monsters games will be televised on Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN), which is carried on sister stations WTCL-LD in Cleveland, WOHZ-CD in Canton, and W28FG-D in Akron - all on channel 22, with several of those games also simulcast on sister station and RESN affiliate

WUAB WUAB (channel 43) is a television station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Media alongside CBS affiliate WOIO (channel 19), Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD (channel 6) ...

channel 43. The broadcast team consists of play-by-play broadcaster Tony Brown and former Cleveland Lumberjacks player and current Monsters vice president Jock Callander as analyst. All televised games are also simulcast on the radio.

Mascot and entertainment

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

References

External links

Cleveland Monsters
(official website) {{Cleveland American Hockey League teams Colorado Avalanche minor league affiliates Columbus Blue Jackets minor league affiliates Ice hockey clubs established in 2016 Ice hockey teams in Ohio Monsters 2016 establishments in Ohio Rock Ventures