The Battle of Inconsistency for the Cleveland Monsters

Photo Credit: Cleveland Monsters

Every AHL team battles inconsistency throughout the season. Call-ups, injuries, and inexperienced players make it challenging for any coach or team to find stability. Some teams easily rise to the call. Others, such as the Cleveland Monsters, struggle to find their footing. In the past, Cleveland has been able to crack the code to its inconsistency puzzle. The 2024-25 season has been quite a different story for them.

 One thing I’ve noticed is the minor differences in the way the Monsters play when goaltender Zach Sawchenko is playing vs when Jet Greaves is playing. They tend to act as an extension of Sawchenko and give Greaves space to roam. Over the past few weeks, I’ve asked fans and media across the league why they thought this might be the case. Simply put, everyone felt it’s because Greaves is so good in net that Cleveland’s defense might feel a little too confident leaving him to his own devices. 

It’s important to note, that Head Coach Trent Vogelhuber doesn’t necessarily agree with my assessment of how the team plays with different goaltenders. “I don’t know if that’s necessarily something I’ve noticed and it’s definitely not a part of any game plan. So, I don't have much of an explanation there for ya,” said Coach Vogelhuber. “We hope to play hard in front of our net despite who’s in there. I think that might just be a coincidental thing based on a little bit of up and down in our play.”

Cleveland's size is starting to become an issue. It’s not just about height, though. Their lack of bulk is causing an issue when they play bigger and stronger teams across the league. A great example of this is the number of times the Monsters have been easily thrown over the boards into the benches by the Grand Rapids Griffins this season. It has happened in four different meetings between the two. 

I say height is not an issue because for Monsters forward Nathan Gerbe may have been 5’4” but it took a lot of energy for an opponent to even attempt to launch him into the benches or the boards. Gerbe’s thick legs and strong center of gravity made him a force to be reckoned with on the ice. It takes time to bulk up. So, in the meantime, Cleveland needs to find a way to use their lack of size to their advantage.

Despite their size, the Monsters can be menaces in the crease. However, only a handful of them are menaces in the crease on a nightly basis. One is forward Joseph LaBate, who prides himself on constantly throwing parties on the opponent’s doorstep. “Part of my game is just owning the net front and being hard to play against in the goalie’s eyes. Just being annoying and help the D (defense) and try to tip in pucks,” said LaBate. “I try to play a lot of my game in front of the net.” LaBate took time to explain to me the importance of a heavy net-front presence. “Anytime the goalie can’t see shots, it makes it hard for them. Sustained pressure and all that,” explained LaBate. “If you’re in front of the net, you’re able to get pucks back and reload to the defensemen. So, it definitely helps.”

If the Monsters can find a way to consistently cause chaos in front and around the crease, they will be able to make things much harder on their opponents. 

While I can’t pinpoint the exact reason Cleveland is struggling to play a full 60 minutes of hockey for multiple games,  I do know that Voelhuber is taking the inconsistency hard and bearing the weight of it on his shoulders. “I’m trying to help our guys to get to the consistency that I think we need to,” said Vogelhuber. “And obviously, I’m not doing a good enough job” 

However, forward Hunter McKown is not letting Coach Vogelhuber bear that burden alone. “We know the game plan that those guys put together every night is pretty spot on. It’s up to us to go in and execute it. We’ve got a great staff that we all are 100% behind,” said McKown. “If he wants to take responsibility, that’s great but ultimately it’s us that goes out and does it.” 

If everyone in the locker room feels the same way McKown feels, Cleveland will figure out what they need to do to become consistent sooner rather than later.