In hockey, at the end of the season, only one team is happy.
That’s the team that lifts whatever trophy is on the line, and for the second straight season, the Cleveland Monsters’ playoff run came up short of that ultimate goal.
One year after a heartbreaking overtime loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, the AHL affiliate of the Blue Jackets didn’t quite go as far this time around, losing in the North Division semifinals of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The 3-1 series loss Laval still stung, though, as it meant the end of the line for a team that believed it could recreate last spring's postseason magic and be a contender for the Calder Cup.
“There’s not much to say,” head coach Trent Vogelhuber said after the Game 4 loss Tuesday that ended the season. “I just appreciate their effort, and I appreciate them caring for each other and being good teammates. (When) you don’t win the last game of the year, it’s always disappointing.
“There’s nothing I can say in there right now that’s going to make them feel better, but hopefully at the end of the day once the dust settles, they’re proud of a lot of things and most importantly proud of the teammates that they were and they carry those relationships forward.”
This group of Monsters has often spoken about the close nature of the locker room built up over the past few seasons, and it was on display early in the season as Cleveland picked up where it left off a season ago. The Monsters won 12 of 13 games in November, including a 10-game winning streak, but the callups of AHL All-Stars Luca Del Bel Belluz and Denton Mateychuk blunted the team’s momentum.
Perhaps predictable ups and downs followed, but the Monsters stayed in the race in the stacked North Division and won four of five at the start of April to clinch a playoff berth. They then captured their opening-round playoff series vs. Toronto with a pair of overtime wins, but Cleveland ran into a buzzsaw of a Laval team that led the league in points during the season and won their division semifinal series in four games.
It also could signal a sea change, as two of the players – forward Trey Fix-Wolansky and goalie Jet Greaves – who have become synonymous with the Cleveland franchise may have played their final games in Lake Blue and Bessie Black. The team’s all-time leader in all major offensive categories, Fix-Wolansky is set to become a free agent, while Greaves proved his mettle at the NHL level during the 2024-25 season and could be set for a full-time role with the Blue Jackets after setting the Monsters’ all-time wins mark.
Those two again paced the team on the ice, with Fix-Wolansky topping the team in scoring and finishing tied for 13th in the AHL with 60 points on 26 goals and 34 assists in 65 games. Greaves, meanwhile, posted his best goals-against average (2.62) and save percentage (.920) in his fourth season with the Monsters while going 21-11-6.
They were part of a veteran core that helped lead the way, including longtime AHL standout Rocco Grimaldi. Signed as a free agent at the start of the season, the 32-year-old forward posted a 17-41-58 line that tied him for 10th in the league in assists and 18th in points.
Cleveland also got standout performances from Del Bel Belluz, a 2022 second-round draft pick who tied for 13th in the AHL with 27 goals despite spending a month with the Blue Jackets; fourth-year Monster Roman Ahcan, who posted career highs with 18 goals and 29 points; and rookie defenseman Mateychuk, a ‘22 first-round pick who was leading league defensemen in scoring at the time of his midseason callup.
But in the end, injuries proved too much to overcome for the Monsters in the playoffs. Captain Stefan Matteau was limited to just 15 games and did not skate in the playoffs, while veteran center Owen Sillinger’s best AHL season was cut short in February when he suffered a season-ending injury. Defenseman Daemon Hunt went down just before the start of the playoffs, and Cleveland’s blue line depth took more hits against Laval when standout Mateychuk and former NHLer Madison Bowey each suffered injuries.
The good news was that some younger players were offered the chance to get into the lineup for the postseason, including 2022 third-round pick Jordan Dumais, who returned from injuries to make his pro debut in the second half of the season; 2023 fourth-round selection Luca Pinelli, who continued putting up points after a standout season in the OHL; and 2021 fifth-round pick Guillaume Richard, who signed with Cleveland at the end of his college season and shined down the stretch.
“I think obviously you want this to go longer, but games against a good team like that that are hard are so valuable for them to see how difficult it is,” Vogelhuber said. “As we’re moving forward in their careers, the goal is to get to the NHL, and you have to make it through the AHL first, which is no easy task.
“To get AHL playoff experience is something that’s the expectation here with our group, and it will be going forward. There’s a core group of those guys – first-, second- and even some third-year players – that have been through it now a little bit, and hopefully they understand what it takes.”
Prospect Report
The Monsters had a number of CBJ-drafted or signed players who spent much of the campaign with them. Here’s a look at how those players age 23 and under did this season, in alphabetical order.
D Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm: After a tough 2023-24 season, Bjorgvik-Holm became a key part of the Cleveland lineup, as the 2020 fifth-round pick skated in 44 games with a 3-4-7 line and suited up in all six postseason games. The 22-year-old RFA-to-be brings size on the blue line and hopes to become just the 10th Norwegian-born player to make it to the NHL.
W Gavin Brindley: Brindley's first full pro season had ups and downs, as the 2023 second-round pick started the season on the injured list and never really got going offensively in the AHL. The 20-year-old finished the regular season with six goals among his 17 points in 52 games and was a healthy scratch the last two playoff games. He brings lots of offensive talent and energy to the table and was young for the level, so the potential is there.
W Cameron Butler: Signed at the end of his OHL career last spring, Butler stands 6-4 and brings physical play to the table. The 22-year-old signed through next season played in 37 games, posting two goals, an assist and 74 penalty minutes, dropping the gloves six times.
D Corson Ceulemans: The 2021 first-round pick is a big, talented blueliner who seemed to be finding his stride at the AHL level this season before suffering a season-ending injury in January. Ceulemans, who turned 22 last week, had a 2-5-7 line in 33 games.
C Luca Del Bel Belluz: The 21-year-old pivot had a successful stint in Columbus (2-6-8 in 15 games) and was an All-Star at the AHL level, posting 27 goals and adding 26 assists for 53 points in 61 games. It was a strong year for the two-way center, a 2022 second-round pick who could be in Columbus full-time sooner rather than later.
W Jordan Dumais: Just getting on the ice was a win for Dumais, who missed the second half of last season and the first half of this year as he continued to rehab injuries. The 21-year-old third-round pick in 2022 was one of the best junior scorers of the past 20 years and showed his offensive flair in his limited time in Cleveland, posting 4-7-11 in 21 games.
G Jet Greaves: The entire NHL took notice of Greaves' five-game win streak to end the season with the Blue Jackets, and the 23-year-old earned his call-up thanks to a red-hot stretch run in Cleveland that featured just 19 goals allowed in his last 12 starts. Cleveland's all-time leader with 82 wins, Greaves appears to be firmly in the Jackets' plans in net going forward.
D Daemon Hunt: Acquired in November in the trade with Minnesota that sent David Jiricek to the Wild, Hunt settled in nicely in Cleveland before suffering a late-season injury. The 22-year-old third-round pick in the 2020 draft had a 2-12-14 line in 48 games with the Monsters.
D Samuel Knazko: A third-round pick in the 2020 draft, Knazko was a regular on the Cleveland defense, as the 22-year-old Slovak posted a 4-12-16 line in 55 games and is now competing at the World Championships for the third time. After playing in 149 games the past three seasons with the Monsters (plus three playoff contests this year), he's an RFA-to-be.
W James Malatesta: The feisty wing played NHL minutes for the second consecutive season but dealt with injuries at the AHL level, finishing with two games played in Columbus and 41 with Cleveland. The 2021 fifth-round pick and 2023 Memorial Cup MVP had an 8-6-14 line with Cleveland with 49 penalty minutes.
D Denton Mateychuk: It's hard to call the 20-year-old a prospect at this point, as he solidified himself as an NHLer by spending the last 45 games with Columbus. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 draft proved he was NHL ready by his play in the AHL, earning All-Star notice with a 9-16-25 line in his first 27 games; Mateychuk returned for the playoffs and had three goals and five points in five games.
W Max McCue: The Monsters' leading pugilist dropped the gloves eight times and paced Cleveland with 122 penalty minutes while posting a 2-6-8 line in 46 games. Signed after a strong junior career with London of the OHL, the 22-year-old McCue will rely on his physical game to move up the ranks.
C Hunter McKown: Signed out of Colorado College in 2023, McKown had a solid second year in Cleveland, catching fire down the stretch and placing fourth on the Monsters with 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) in 68 games. The 22-year-old RFA-to-be brings size and some scoring touch to the table.
W Mikael Pyyhtia: He became known to CBJ fans as "Tuna" when skating in 47 games with Columbus this year, but Pyyhtia finished the year with Cleveland. The 23-year-old Finn chosen in the fourth round of the 2020 draft had a 3-13-16 line in 28 games with the Monsters and was lauded for his defensive play in the NHL. He's an RFA-to-be.
D Stanislav Svozil: Taken in the third round of the 2021 draft, Svozil is a skilled and poised blueliner who played big minutes in his second season with the Monsters. The 22-year-old Czech defenseman had four goals among his 24 points in 63 games and is a name to watch.
