Blue Jackets’ AHL Affiliate Announces Name Change

The 2016 Calder Cup champion Lake Erie Monsters are now officially the Cleveland Monsters, the franchise’s chief operating officer Mike Ostrowski announced on Tuesday.

“We are excited to announce today that our team will be named the Cleveland Monsters.” – COO @_MikeOstrowskipic.twitter.com/GE0a1jIJPC

— Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) August 9, 2016

The team will be wearing new jerseys to start the 2016-17 season. These uniforms have a similar color scheme to those worn by the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.

The #CLEMonsters will wear these NEW sweaters in the 2016-17 season! pic.twitter.com/2yjCMOvN2W

— Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) August 9, 2016

The Lake Erie Monsters began their existence in 2006 after the Cleveland Barons announced that the franchise was relocating to Worcester, Mass. at the end of the 2005-06 season. A group led by Dan Gilbert, the founder of Quicken Loans, Inc. and majority owner of the Cavaliers, purchased the dormant Utah Grizzlies AHL franchise.

The Monsters play their home games at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland but were called the Lake Erie Monsters until today. During the team’s first five years of existence, the Monsters were the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.

On Apr. 17, 2015, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced a multi-year deal that made the Monsters the Blue Jackets’ official AHL affiliate beginning at the start of the 2015-16 season. That season, the Monsters set a franchise record with 97 points and advanced to the Calder Cup playoffs for the second time in the team’s history. In the Calder Cup Final, the Monsters completed a four-game sweep of the Hershey Bears to capture its first Calder Cup title.

Today’s announcement to rename the team the Monsters will help fans identify with the club as representing the city of Cleveland — one that has received a tremendous amount of support as the Cavaliers won this past season’s NBA title earlier this summer.