2019-20 Season Preview: Cleveland Monsters

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Monsters, proud AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, enter the 2019-20 season looking to take the next step in their development. In doing so, they will have some new faces leading the charge.

Thanks to the fallout in Columbus with many prominent faces moving on, important holes had to be filled. Because John Davidson went to the New York Rangers, it opened up opportunities for promotion. Former Monster GM Bill Zito is now both the associate GM, senior vice president of hockey operations and alternate governor with the Blue Jackets. His promotion led to Chris Clark being named the new GM of the Monsters.

That’s not all that has changed.

John Madden is no longer with the Monsters. In replacing him behind the bench, Clark went to a former college coach with documented success to lead the next wave. Mike Eaves is now on board. He’s best known for winning gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships for Team USA and winning a national championship for the University of Wisconsin in 2006 in their backyard of Milwaukee.

While there’s been changes at the top, most of the Monsters from last season are back to take the next step. Couple that with some fresh young faces and you have the recipe for an exciting season at a renovated Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Let’s take a look at the projected roster by position.

Goalies

Matiss Kivlenieks, Veini Vehvilainen, Brad Thiessen

In net, the Monsters will feature a very young duo and an experienced AHL veteran helping them along. Matiss Kivlenieks starts the season as the number-one goalie. He’s looking to return to form after going through a season in 2018-19 that saw him play just 14 games in Cleveland and another eight in Kalamazoo. He just turned 23 in August.

His backup is even younger but will be very interesting to watch. Veini Vehvilainen comes to the Monsters from Finland after putting on a dominating performance in Liiga. It’s generally considered that Vehvilainen is the third goalie and would get the first call-up in case of injury in Columbus.

Brad Thiessen is back on an AHL contract. Recall he played in the playoffs and even helped the Monsters to a series win against the Syracuse Crunch. He will be tasked to play when necessary but also help teach each of the youngsters the ropes in the AHL. The season will hinge on how this situation unfolds. The rest of the team seems like they’re in good shape.

Defense

Adam Clendening, Andrew Peeke, Ryan Collins, Dillon Simpson, Michael Prapavessis, Doyle Somerby, Anton Karlsson, Gabriel Carlsson

This defense will be led by veteran Adam Clendening who spent time on the Blue Jackets in the playoffs last season. His leadership and play is a calming influence on the rest of the team. Former first-round pick Gabriel Carlsson will look to stay healthy this season and take the next step. Recall he appeared in the playoffs two seasons ago in Columbus but has fallen down the depth chart. He has a point to prove.

The new face to watch is former Notre Dame captain Andrew Peeke. He was the last cut from the Blue Jackets but was impressive all camp long. The Blue Jackets do have eight defenseman in rotation at the moment, but in case of injury Peeke could get a call. He’s a proven leader and will be the player to watch on the blue line from an excitement standpoint. He’s improved by leaps and bounds in his development.

Anton Karlsson joins the Monsters after spending his last four seasons playing for Linkoping in Sweden. The others will all look to provide depth and veteran stability to help the young players along. This group can move the puck well and should be a steadying force all season.

Forwards

Paul Bittner, Bryan Moore, Eric Robinson, Justin Scott, Sam Vigneault, Stefan Matteau, Derek Barach, Calvin Thurkauf, Zac Dalpe, Markus Hannikainen, Nikita Korostelev, Maxime Fortier, Brett Gallant, Marko Dano, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Ryan MacInnis, Kevin Stenlund, Kole Sherwood, Nathan Gerbe

The Monsters are running with co-captains this season with both Zac Dalpe and Nathan Gerbe alternating the captaincy. Dalpe will wear the “C” on the road while Gerbe will wear the “C” at home. Dillon Simpson joins them as an alternate captain.

All things considered, this is a deep group of forwards with a handful of them on the verge of making a run at the Blue Jackets. Eric Robinson, Markus Hannikainen, Marko Dano and Kole Sherwood all spent time with the Blue Jackets at different points. Dano is back in the organization after being part of the Brandon Saad trade several years ago.

The newcomer to watch is winger Trey Fix-Wolansky. He was the captain of WHL Edmonton and helped lead them to a nice playoff run. He may be small, but he’s fast, feisty and can score the puck. Watching his development this season will be a treat.

A couple of other names to watch are Kevin Stenlund and Calvin Thurkauf. Each brings unique skills to the table that could help each eventually land in the NHL. Can they make the next step in their development to really push for a spot?

With Dalpe returning as one of the league-leading goal scorers from last season and the combination of other talent on the team, the Monsters are expected to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. Their goaltending will tell the tale of the season. Can they get the big save in a key moment? If so, exciting things could be coming to Cleveland this season.

Projected Lineup

Nathan Gerbe-Kevin Stenlund-Markus Hannikainen Marko Dano-Zac Dalpe-Trey Fix-Wolansky Eric Robinson-Justin Scott-Kole Sherwood Calvin Thurkauf-Ryan MacInnis-Paul Bittner

Gabriel Carlsson-Adam Clendening Dillon Simpson-Andrew Peeke Doyle Somerby-Ryan Collins

Matiss Kivlenieks Veini Vehvilainen Brad Thiessen

Extras: Bryan Moore, Sam Vigneault, Stefan Matteau, Derek Barach, NIkita Korostelev, Maxime Fortier, Brett Gallant, Michael Prapavessis, Anton Karlsson.