The honest self-assessment is no surprise for Vogelhuber, who has put a no-excuses mentality in place for his young team. He knows his job first and foremost is to build players who are ready to succeed at the next level, and as a result he’s created a fun but competitive atmosphere built to get the most out of his players.
It’s clearly worked, as Cleveland got off to a red-hot start and has been in the mix for a division title all season. After Saturday’s win, the Monsters are in third place in the AHL North with a 36-23-5-3 record but just two points behind first-place Syracuse with five games remaining.
Playoff hockey hasn’t quite been clinched officially on the shores of Lake Erie, but that can change tomorrow night with a home win over Laval. And whenever the “x” is next to Cleveland’s name in the standings, the Monsters will look to make a deep run into the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs.
“For me, ever since I’ve been a pro as a player, the playoffs is when the season begins,” Vogelhuber said. “You go through the season just to get to the playoffs. If you don’t make the playoffs, it’s a wasted season and that’s not acceptable. So that’s been our mind-set as a group all year is you have to do these things to get ready for the real season, and that’s in April, May and June.
“Now, all the things we’ve talked about all year, we’re expecting them to be sharp on, and the competitiveness can’t dip because you’re gonna get punched in the mouth. Everybody is desperate. It’s the most fun time of the year because the games are harder, the pressure is there, and the highs are so high and the lows are so low. That’s why we’re all here. That’s what it’s all about, is this time coming up with playoff hockey.”
The 35-year-old Vogelhuber has proved to be a good mix leading a young team in Cleveland, but he’s also known he had a pretty good team for most of the season. With the Blue Jackets having strong drafts the past few seasons, a mix of first- or second-year pros like Luca Del Bel Belluz, James Malatesta, Mikael Pyyhtia, Hunter McKown, David Jiricek, Stanislav Svozil and Corson Ceulemans has joined AHL veterans like Brendan Gaunce, Carson Meyer, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Jake Christiansen and Jet Greaves to form a good mix of talent and experience for the team.
Vogelhuber said he was excited coming into the season to see how the group would come together, and it’s fair to say there have been ups and downs but mostly successes along the way.
“It’s a pretty tough grind,” he said of the AHL. “I knew it would be a learning progression and there would be ups and downs, but my hopes were high because we had strong returning players along with a group of really talented young rookies. It has been a lot of work, as I suspected, but that’s OK. That’s what we’re here for.
“But it’s been great. The young guys have come in and contributed and stepped into the roles that we asked them and embraced the things we asked them to grow with. It’s been a pretty successful season so far, but we’re far from the finish.”
Listen to the full Pipeline Podcast to hear Vogelhuber break down some of the top CBJ prospects on the team and much more on his thoughts about player development.
Brindley, Hreschuk in Frozen Four
College hockey’s version of March Madness has reached its crescendo, as the Frozen Four begins tomorrow in St. Paul, Minn.
And the Blue Jackets will be well represented as two CBJ prospects are taking part. Aidan Hreschuk (2021 third-round pick of Carolina, traded to the Blue Jackets) is on top overall seed and tourney favorite Boston College, while Gavin Brindley (2023 second-round pick) is hoping to lead Michigan to an elusive national title.
Hreschuk has carved out a role as a steady defenseman on the Eagles, a traditional power searching for its first title since 2012. In regional play two weekends ago, Boston College romped to a 6-1 win to begin play vs. Michigan Tech and then downed defending champion Quinnipiac in the regional final by a 5-4 score. Hreschuk had an assist and was plus-2 in the two games.
One of college hockey’s top scorers this year and the Big Ten Player of the Year, Brindley salted away Michigan’s trip to the Frozen Four when he scored one of the goals of the tournament, putting Frank Nazar’s between-the-legs pass into the net to give U-M a 4-2 lead in the regional final vs. rival Michigan State. Seeking their first crown since 1998, the Wolverines began tournament play with a 4-3 win over North Dakota and then downed the Spartans, 5-2, in the regional final.
There’s a guarantee that one of the two will advance, as Boston College and Michigan play in a semifinal tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. Boston University and Denver are on the other side of the bracket, with the winners set to play for a national title Saturday at 6 p.m. All games will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Playoff Time Continues
While those two CBJ prospects will vie for an NCAA title, prospects around the globe are in the midst of playoff chases in their respectively leagues as well.
CBJ prospects are alive and well in the Canadian Hockey League playoffs with an eye on May’s Memorial Cup, while others are also chasing trophies across the world and just up the road as well.
We’ll break things down by league starting with the CHL.
- In the Ontario Hockey League, three CBJ prospects have advanced through the first round. In the Western Conference, top-seeded London swept through Flint 4-0, with free agent signing Max McCue chipping in a goal and four assists. Second-seeded Saginaw also swept Owen Sound, though goalie Nolan Lalonde (FA signing) did not play in the four games. Luca Pinelli (2023 fourth-round pick) and Ottawa entered as the sixth seed in the East but upset No. 3 Brantford, 4-2, with Pinelli scoring four goals and adding two assists in the series win.
- There are CBJ draftees on just one team in the Western Hockey League, and Moose Jaw has high hopes this postseason behind defenseman Denton Mateychuk (2022 first-round pick) and Martin Rysavy (2021 seventh-round pick). The third-seeded Warriors swept through No. 6 Brandon in the opening round, with Mateychuk posting a 2-6-8 line and Rysavy adding two goals and an assist.
- In the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, CBJ draftees Jordan Dumais (Halifax) and Tyler Peddle (Saint John) saw their seasons end quickly as both teams were swept. Dumais (2022 third-round pick) did not play because of injury as a once-promising season for the Mooseheads ended with a sweep at the hands of Acadie-Bathurst, while Peddle (2023 seventh-round pick) had a goal while playing in two games of in a four-game loss at the hands of Drummondville.
In the second tier of Canadian junior hockey, the BCHL, 2022 seventh-round pick James Fisher and Penticton are up 3-0 in a first-round series vs. Prince George. Fisher has an assist while playing in two of the first three games.
Over in Finland, 2023 seventh-round pick Oiva Keskinen scored a huge goal Saturday, breaking a 4-4 tie in the late moments to push Tappara to a key playoff victory over KalPa. Tappara is up 2-1 on KalPa in the league semifinals and is hoping to win its third straight championship, and Keskinen has a 2-3-5 line in nine playoff contests.
Much closer to home, the United States Hockey League is one weekend away from postseason play, and Youngstown hopes to defend its title up in Northeast Ohio. The Phantoms are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, led by captain Andrew Strathmann, a 2023 fourth-round pick who has 7-30-37 and 120 PIM in 47 games on the blue line.
