In a year full of highs and lows, 2023 was one the Cleveland Monsters won’t soon forget. From the highs of hosting an Outdoor Classic to the low of missing the Calder Cup Playoffs, professional hockey in Cleveland is wrapping up an identify-defining year.
Before you break out the party hats, champagne, and streamers to usher in the new year, let’s take a look back on the top seven Cleveland Monsters storylines in 2023.
Top Seven Cleveland Monsters Storylines in 2023
This list of the top seven 2023 Cleveland Monsters storylines is presented in chronological order. After all, if I were to attempt to rank them any other way, it would be nearly impossible!
Outdoor Classic
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’ll know that I loved covering the Outdoor Classic against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. It was an instant classic, with Marcus Bjork scoring his second goal of the night in overtime for a 3-2 victory.
Five-hour sun delay aside, it was an almost perfect day in Cleveland, OH, and for the long-time Monsters faithful.
The official attendance was 22,875, the third-largest in American Hockey League history. Granted, that number dwindled after the sun decided to make a rare winter appearance in Northeast Ohio.
Plus, it was a sneak peek of what was to come- at least from a branding standpoint.
Cleveland Narrowly Misses Playoffs
The backend of the 2022-23 season was a rough one for both the players and fans. Continual and long-lasting call-ups to their NHL-affiliate Columbus Blue Jackets decimated a promising roster and hopes for a playoff berth.
In the end, the only difference between the playoff-clinching Laval Rocket and the precocious Monsters was three overtime points. If just three more games went into OT or some other combination of three or more points in Cleveland’s favor, who knows what could have been last season.
While Cleveland’s squad last season did not show the same kind of prowess and promise as it does this season. What that squad learned was resiliency. The Monsters learned to win games when, quite frankly, every odd was against the team. It was a lesson that needed to be learned in order to be as successful this season.
Black and Blue Hockey Rebrand
On July 12, the Monsters ushered in a new brand and era for the franchise: Black and Blue Hockey.
In what was billed as the team’s “most significant visual evolution in its 16-year history,” the organization simplified the team’s color palette, updated the word mark to a nautical-inspired font, and even introduced a new logo!
The rebrand debuted to much fanfare and positive feedback. For those who yearn for the days of the Lake Erie Monsters, it is a nice homage to see a rebrand lean so much into the lake and nautical aspects of the brand.
Dillon Simpson Retires
After nine professional seasons and 498 games in the American Hockey League, former Monsters captain and defenseman Dillon Simpson announced his retirement in late August. At the same time, the University of North Dakota announced his hiring as its new assistant coach.
The move was an unexpected one, even for the 5-year Monsters’ mainstay.
“Quite honestly, going into the offseason, I had no intention of retiring. I was still training throughout this whole process. But at the end of the day, when this opportunity (with UND) came about, I flipped the switch pretty quick. My thought became ‘Okay, I’m retiring the next day if I get the opportunity to coach.’”
Simpson on his decision to retire.
This season, the UND Men’s Hockey team has gone 12-5-1 and is currently fourth in Men’s Ice Hockey D1 action.
However, Simpson’s legacy as a leader (and rather effective forward when needed) will be long-lasting in Cleveland.
New Leadership Changes
With Simpson’s retirement, it was time to usher in another new era. This time, it was all about leadership.
Days before the opening of the 2023-24 AHL season, the Monsters announced the team’s official leadership group for the season. Brendan Gaunce, returning from a long-term call-up with the Blue Jackets was named the 17th captain in franchise history. Serving as assistant captains, Josh Dunne, Carson Meyer, and Billy Sweezey rounded out the official leadership.
Now with Dunne out long-term with an injury and Gaunce called back up to Columbus, what remains to be seen is if any additional assistant captains might be awarded.
Trey Fix-Wolansky Makes Franchise History (Twice)
Trey Fix-Wolansky has been a mainstay and fan-favorite in Cleveland since his pro debut in the 2018-19 AHL playoffs. Since then, he’s taken part in 191 AHL games, all with the Monsters. His 70 goals and 97 assists have cemented him in the Cleveland hockey record books.
On December 22, 2023, in a 4-3 win over the Syracuse Crunch, Fix-Wolansky scored his 68th career goal, claiming the record for franchise goals from Andrew Agozzino.
One night later, he took the primary assist in Carson Meyer’s game-winning goal in regulation versus the Utica Comets. That helper moved him to the franchise lead for points.
He’s been a high-octane scorer from game one. As passionate off the ice as he is on, he’s the stuff of minor league hockey legends. Will he ever get a long look and opportunity in the NHL? Only 24 years old, he absolutely has plenty of time to make a solid name for himself. The question is if Columbus will ever give him that chance.
What’s left for Fix-Wolansky to prove at the AHL level? Since his pro debut, he has yet to play in the playoffs. It would seem fitting that in an individually historic season, he’d lead the Monsters to a deep run.
Like with all things, only time will tell.
Trent Vogelhuber Awarded North Division All-Star Classic Coaching Job
Rounding out a busy and news-worthy year, Trent Vogelhuber was awarded with his first coaching accolade: clinching the honor of coaching at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose, California.
This award is given to one coach in each of the four AHL divisions. The top team by record in each division as of the end of play on December 31, 2023 sees their coach move on to coach in the ASC.
In his second season as the Monsters’ head coach, Vogelhuber is the youngest head coach currently in the AHL and has led his team to a 21-7-1-0 record.
Cleveland Monsters 2023 Wrapup
With only one game left in the 2023 calendar year (visiting the Grand Rapids Griffins at 6:00 pm), there’s still time to add one more storyline to the list- ending the year with a win against a long-standing rival.
2023 was a topsy-turvy year, and 2024 has the potential to be one that the Cleveland fans and players have been waiting on since 2016. Will trends continue?
Until then, let’s give a toast of your favorite drink (water included!) to 2023 and for high hopes in 2024.
