The Monsters will play an intrasquad scrimmage Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at Hoover Arena.
Monsters goalie Jason Bacashihua returns to Lake Erie after a season with the Hershey Bears, last year's AHL champions.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Monsters, AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, officially open camp Wednesday, Sept. 29, at Hoover Arena in Strongsville. All practices are open to the public.
The Monsters will play an intrasquad scrimmage Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at Hoover Arena. Admission is free. Hoover Arena is located at 15381 Royalton Rd.
The Monsters do not have a preseason game scheduled. They open their fourth AHL season Oct. 8 against Syracuse at The Q.
Key players returning include center Phil Dupuis, who has been with the club since the inaugural season, and left winger Justin Mercier. Mercier played at Miami (Ohio). Goalie Jason Bacashihua also is back. Bacashihua was with the Monsters for the first two seasons before playing with Hershey last season.
Rookies expected to make an impact include defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen, high Avalanche draft picks who won national titles at Boston University under David Quinn. Quinn begins his second season as coach of the Monsters.
Key newcomers include right winger David van der Gulik (entering fifth season in AHL, most recently in Abbotsford) and center Greg Mauldin (entering sixth full AHL season, most recently with Bridgeport).
Key losses include Darren Haydar (The Hockey News' AHL Player of the Decade; AHL's all-time playoff leader; two-time Calder Cup champ; signed with Chicago), T.J. Hensick (Lake Erie's franchise leader in multiple categories; with the club the previous three seasons; traded to St. Louis organization), Brian Willsie (captain the past two years; signed with Washington organization); and Tyler Weiman (franchise leader in all major goalie categories; with team previous three seasons; signed with Vancouver).