Series preview/gamethread: Cleveland Monsters begin their quest for the Calder Cup

The Columbus Blue Jackets season is over (and has been for quite some time, from a practical standpoint), but there is still a prize in grasp for the organization: the Calder Cup, awarded to the champion of the American Hockey League. The Cleveland Monsters won this championship back in 2016, in their first year of affiliation with the Jackets and with the help of future Columbus stars such as Oliver Bjorkstrand, Zach Werenski, Josh Anderson, and Joonas Korpisalo.

This season, despite losing a number of key players to the NHL down the stretch, the Monsters won the first division title in franchise history. With that North Division championship came a first round bye, and now they face the Belleville Senators in the North Division semifinals.

Several key players return from Columbus, including forward Trey Fix-Wolansky, defenseman David Jiricek, and goaltender Jet Greaves. Defenseman Ole Bjorgvik-Holm has been recalled from ECHL Cincinnati and forward prospect Luca Pinelli has signed an amateur tryout contract to be able to join the team for this run. Carson Meyer is unavailable, unfortunately, due to an upper-body injury suffered while playing for the Blue Jackets.

Schedule

05/01/24 CLE @ BEL
05/03/24 CLE @ BEL
05/08/24 BEL @ CLE
05/10/24 BEL @ CLE (if necessary)
05/12/24 BEL @ CLE (if necessary)

The games in Cleveland are subject to change depending on the playoff schedule for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

All games can be streamed on AHL.tv. Game 3 will also be broadcast on Bally Sports Great Lakes

Stats

Further Reading

Deep Dive: Monsters claim North Division crown, set sights on Cleveland’s 11th Calder Cup (from ClevelandMonsters.com)

Monsters have confidence heading into the playoffs (from bluejackets.com)