CLEVELAND – After a disappointing season in 2022-23, the Cleveland Monsters roster for 2023-24 might have some calling for sweeping lineup changes. But should second-year head coach Trent Vogelhuber toss names into a hat to form his lineup, or should he stick with some lines that showed promise last year?
That’s the challenge facing the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters, as many players are headed into a pivotal “make or break” season.
One thing is for sure; the lineup is crowded to start. As is tradition for the beginning of any AHL season, the number of possible roster players vastly outweighs the limited number of roster spots available for each game.
So, what decisions will the Monsters’ coaching staff make? Let’s attempt to peek into their brains and see how the opening night roster may look.
Cleveland Monsters Roster: Forwards
First, let’s look at the fowards currently eligible for the 2023-24 Cleveland Monsters roster and how they got there:
- Roman Ahcan – LW/C, Signed a one-year AHL contract on June 30
- Tyler Angle – C/LW, Last year of his entry-level contract (ELC)
- Emil Bemstrom – RW, Final year of a two-year, two-way NHL contract
- Cameron Butler – RW, Signed a three-year ELC on March 16
- Luca Del Bel Belluz – C, First year of his three-year ELC with an entry-level slide signed on December 1, 2022
- Josh Dunne – C, Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 15
- Trey Fix-Wolansky – RW, Signed a two-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 27
- Jake Gaudet – C, Last year of his AHL contract
- Brendan Gaunce – C/LW, Last year of a two-year, two-way NHL contract extension signed June 18, 2022
- James Malatesta – RW, First year of an ELC with an entry-level slide
- Hunter McKown – C, Second-to-last year of ELC (waivers exempt)
- Carson Meyer – RW, Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 23
- Mikael Pyyhtiä – LW/C, Second-to-last year of ELC
- Owen Sillinger – C/LW, Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 7
- Dmitri Voronkov – Signed a two-year, ELC on May 4. Voronkov’s contract includes a European Assignment Clause as detailed in Article 11 – 11.19 of the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Fifteen players for 12 positions. Who gets a roster spot, and who is left out?
If anything is certain in the AHL it’s that nothing is certain. My lineup tries to consider this and hopes to capitalize on the veterans in the lineup early in the season.
Those familiar with the Blue Jackets and Monsters know why I’m doing this. I refuse to come out and say it explicitly so as not to jinx anything.
Top Six
Sillinger – Angle – Fix-Wolansky
Gaunce – Gaudet – Meyer
The top six of my 2023-24 Cleveland Monsters roster is veteran-heavy and welcomes back Gaunce, who missed most of last season with a callup and injury.
Sillinger, Angle, and Fix-Wolansky were with the team almost all of last season. They also spent some time on each other’s line, though never really together all the same time. This trio brings a ton of talent, spark, and a bit of snarl when needed.
Moving to the second line, we are keeping on with players who have been with the Monsters for at least one season. The beauty of this trio of the Cleveland Monsters roster lies in the versatility of the three players. Gaunce, Gaudet, and Meyer can easily slot in on the top line if needed or substitute anywhere else in the lineup.
Bottom Six
Pyyhtiä – Del Bel Belluz – Bemstrom
Ahcan – Dunne – Malatesta
The bottom six welcome the newcomers to the forward core, Del Bel Belluz and Malatesta.
This third line of Pyyhtiä, Del Bel Belluz, and NHL bubble player Bemstrom can be a scoring and high-flying trio. Depending on how aggressively the opposition is playing, three equally aggressive and talented players on the fourth line are willing to move up and help.
Ahcan and Dunne seemed to be the obvious choice for Malatesta, who plays at a quick pace and isn’t afraid to play tough on the forecheck and backcheck.
The biggest thing to remember about AHL hockey is that teams don’t tend to play traditional fourth lines like in the NHL and other leagues. Most teams play the lines fairly evenly each night, though they can shorten the bench when in come-from-behind or other high-stress situations.
The obvious omission here is Voronkov. Due to his European Assignment Clause, I highly doubt the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will ever see him take a lap. There is a slight possibility he may play a game or two in a Monsters uniform (hello, Yegor Chinakhov), but your odds are better spent elsewhere.
Cleveland Monsters Roster: Defensemen
- Nick Blankenburg– Last year of a two-year NHL contract (waivers exempt)
- Marcus Bjork – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 30
- Jake Christiansen – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 5
- Cole Clayton – Last year of AHL contract
- Corson Ceulemans – Signed a PTO for the 2022-23 season; signed an ELC with the Blue Jackets on March 7
- David Jiricek – First year of his ELC (waivers exempt)
- Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm – Second-to-last year of ELC
- Samuel Knazko – Second-to-last year of ELC
- Stanislav Svozil – First year of ELC (entry-level slide; played for Columbus, Cleveland, and the Regina Pats of the WHL in 2022-23)
- Billy Sweezey – Last year of a two-year, two-way NHL contract
The depth here is, if I may, absolutely ridiculous. Needless to say, some tough choices had to be made to get to the six defensemen we will roll with in our initial Cleveland Monsters roster.
Who’s In?
Blankenburg – Jiricek
Christiansen – Clayton
Ceulemans – Sweezey
Blue Jackets fans are likely dismayed to see Blankenburg on my Cleveland Monsters roster. He’s proven difficult to keep out of the Jackets’ lineup when he’s healthy. However, given the increased depth at the top of the organization, there’s a good chance he finds himself in need of ice time.
There’s no better place for him to find it than alongside the organization’s top defense prospect in Jiricek.
Aside from those two, Christiansen, and Sweezey, much of the defensive lineup is pretty interchangeable.
Sweezey has quickly proven himself to be a locker room and fan favorite across the organization. I only place him on the third defensive pairing due to his leadership abilities and knack for making his partner better. With Ceulemans going into his first full professional season and so many other young players on the outside looking in, the strong and steady veteran is the logical choice.
Who’s Out?
Vogelhuber has an embarrassment of riches on defense to start the season. I feel bad leaving out Svozil, Bjork, and Knazko, but there are only six spots here for ten potential players. Still fresh in my mind is the outstanding season that Bjorgvik-Holm had during the pandemic.
Given the constant roster churn within every hockey season, don’t worry. They won’t be in the press box for long.
Cleveland Monsters Roster: Goaltenders
- Pavel Cajan – Last year of AHL contract
- Jet Greaves – Last year of ELC
Greaves is the undisputed starter in the Cleveland net. Assuming there are no other goaltending additions to the Blue Jackets’ roster for 2023-24, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Monsters sign an experienced netminder to fill in the gaps.
Not much up for debate here.
Looking Ahead at the 2023-24 Cleveland Monsters Season
The Cleveland Monsters begin the 2023-24 season on the road against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday, October 14th. The next night, they stop by the Giant Center, home to the defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears.
For fans wanting to catch the Monsters at home, they will have to wait until Friday, October 20 at 7:00 PM Eastern. That also kicks off a back-to-back home series against North Division rival Syracuse Crunch.
Tickets for the 17th season in franchise history are not yet on sale, though the announcement is expected within the coming weeks.
