15 CHL grads win Calder Cup title with Manchester
Monday June 15, 2015
15 CHL graduates are Calder Cup Champions as members of the Manchester Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings.
The Monarchs claimed their first Calder Cup title in franchise history with a 4-1 series victory over the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.
Manchester took Game 5 of the series by a score of 2-1 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Saturday night.
The championship caps off a memorable season in Monarchs franchise history as the club won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy with the best regular season record in the AHL at 50-17-6-3.
Manchester eliminated Portland, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hartford before besting Utica, a club that also featured nine OHL graduates on their roster.
After finishing third in AHL scoring this past season, former Regina Pats forward Jordan Weal carried his offensive dominance over into the playoffs where the North Vancouver, BC native finished tied for the league scoring lead with 10 goals, 12 assists and 22 points in 19 contests. Weal received the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the AHL’s Playoff MVP.
A trio of Monarchs capture a championship for the second time in as many years as Justin Auger, Nick Ebert and Ryan Horvat all won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL Champions with the Guelph Storm in 2014.
In addition to the 15 CHL graduates to raise the Calder Cup, former Owen Sound Attack head coach Mike Stothers and Guelph Storm assistant coach Chris Hajt were behind the bench for the Monarchs.
The Monarchs will move to Ontario, CA to begin the 2015-16 as the Ontario Reign while Ontario’s ECHL franchise transfers to Manchester, NH.
The Monarchs become the first team since the New Brunswick Hawks in 1982 to win the Calder Cup in their last game of existence.
Manchester Monarchs CHL graduates (15):
Justin Auger (Guelph, 2011-14)
Patrik Bartosak (Red Deer, 2011-14)
Jean-Francois Berube (Montreal, 2008-11)
Paul Bissonnette (North Bay/Saginaw/Owen Sound, 2001-05)
Andrew Bodnarchuk (Halifax, 2005-08)
Andrew Crescenzi (Kitchener, 2009-12)
Nick Ebert (Windsor/Guelph, 2010-14)
Josh Gratton (Sudbury/Kingston/Windsor, 2000-03)
Ryan Horvat (Guelph, 2009-14)
Colin Miller (Sault Ste. Marie, 2010-13)
Zach O’Brien (Rouyn-Noranda/Acadie-Bathurst, 2009-13)
Kevin Raine (London/Sudbury, 2010-14)
Scott Sabourin (Oshawa, 2009-13)
Jeff Schultz (Calgary, 2002-06)
Jordan Weal (Regina, 2007-12)