Cleveland looking forward to three-in-four against Texas
Monsters await arrival of goalie Tarasov
In an unconventional season that’s already been affected by COVID-19 on multiple occasions, the Cleveland Monsters have played only nine games since their season began on February 12.
Various circumstances are responsible for the lack of competition, including postponements and the 28-game snapshot that is the AHL season. No matter the reason, the upcoming stretch of three games in four days against the Texas Stars this week would, under normal conditions, be viewed as a grind. This season, players seem willing to do whatever it takes just to get on the ice.
It’s no secret that Cleveland was at a bit of a disadvantage during last Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Grand Rapids following a two-week layoff against a Griffins club that was coming off a fairly regular schedule, logging three games over nine days ahead of the matchup.
The Monsters were able to jump out to a 2-1 lead early in the second period, but the Griffins piled on three goals in the same frame to down the visitors.
“We were trying to stress a good start to try to help us set our tempo and carry that through the game,” said Monsters Assistant Coach Trent Vogelhuber. “We did a good job of that at the start, and we just weren’t able to sustain it against a team that was maybe more in their groove more than we were.”
While it’s no excuse for three-goal losses, the lack of live game action leading up to Saturday’s tilt in Grand Rapids certainly played a role in the loss, especially for a young team like the Monsters that now has 10 rookies on the roster after the signings of forward Josh Dunne and goaltender Hayden Stewart.
Dunne, 22, inked a two-year entry-level deal with the Blue Jackets and made his pro debut against Grand Rapids. The Missouri native brings a sizeable 6-foot-4, 209-pound frame and captained Clarkson University last season while wrapping up a three-year, 78-game career at the NCAA Division I level.
Meanwhile, Stewart figures to serve as a backup until Daniil Tarasov joins the club in the very near future. Tarasov, a 2017 third round pick of the Blue Jackets, was playing on loan for Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL) to begin the campaign and saw his season come to end on Tuesday.
Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen has already announced that Tarasov would be assigned to Cleveland following the conclusion of his KHL season, so it’s only a matter of time before the 21-year-old Russian dons a Monsters jersey.
Presumably in anticipation of Tarasov’s arrival, Columbus dealt one of its several young goaltenders, Veini Vehvilainen, to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for defenseman Mikko Lehtonen, who will report to the taxi squad and serve as defensive depth.
Tarasov, who is widely regarded as one the top NHL goaltending prospects, could provide a massive boost to the Monsters and create a stellar one-two punch alongside Matiss Kivlenieks, who has posted a .938 save percentage across three starts. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Tarasov made his NHL debut in the near future, especially if Columbus falls out of contention in the NHL’s Central Division playoff race.
For the sake of Tarasov and several other young prospects, the Monsters hope to play as many games as possible as the shortened season marches on. A lack of full speed game action can cause problems for players and coaches alike.
“I prefer the momentum of games, where you can build something over time,” Vogelhuber explained. “You’re trying to build that momentum, and with three or four games in one week you’re able to break those games down and have proof of what players are doing well and what they need to work on. If you play one game and you wait awhile, maybe as a coach you start to overanalyze players with such a small sample size.”
--- Jared Tennant for Ohio Hockey Digest
