In April of 2015, the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets announced an affiliation agreement that linked Ohio's top two professional teams.

The Blue Jacket's top prospects will spend time in Cleveland honing their skills and preparing for their NHL opportunity.

The close proximity makes for easy player movement up and down between the two teams along I-71, and makes it easy for the Columbus staff to keep an eye on their  talent pipeline.