Spending part of the season in Cleveland wasn’t part of the plan for Kent Johnson, but when he was sent down for a 10-game span earlier this season, the young CBJ forward did learn something about the Monsters.
The top farm team of the Blue Jackets remains tied for first place in the American Hockey League’s North Division with two months to go, and Johnson – who counts a number of Monsters players among his best friends – learned the secret sauce in Cleveland has to do with the people.
“Those guys are really funny,” Johnson said. “They really love hockey, and when your top players on the team like that really love it and really enjoy working hard in practice every day, it really sets the culture for the team. I think that’s a big part of their success.”
At the forefront of that is a trio of All-Stars, all of whom have become leaders on the Monsters at three different positions. Forward Trey Fix-Wolansky, defenseman Jake Christiansen and goaltender Jet Greaves were chosen to represent Cleveland at the AHL’s All-Star Game earlier this month. They were joined by head coach Trent Vogelhuber at the league’s headline event, which was held the first weekend of February in San Jose.
While visiting Cleveland this past weekend for the team’s Friday night game vs. Charlotte, we caught up with Fix-Wolansky, Christiansen and Greaves to talk about their impressive seasons as well as the success of the Monsters this season.
Fix-Wolansky Sets The Pace
If there’s a Mr. Monster, there’s little doubt it’s Fix-Wolansky. That was confirmed on Saturday night, as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer was honored with his own bobblehead.
Fix-Wolansky rose to the occasion, scoring in the game and celebrating on the bench by having trainers slap him in the helmet to bobble his noggin. It was a piece of personality that fits the dynamic Fix-Wolansky, who feels at home in Cleveland, whether it’s on the ice, as a bobblehead, or in local TV and billboard appearances.
“I would say my first year here, I definitely would have never expected any of this,” Fix-Wolansky said. “I’m really happy with how far our team has come and proud of myself for how far I’ve come since having a couple of injuries at the start of my career.”
Fix-Wolansky has always been able to score, totaling 191 points his final two seasons with Edmonton of the WHL, which is why he was a seventh-round draft pick of the Jackets in 2018. He first arrived in Cleveland full-time for the 2019-20 campaign, but he was limited to just nine games the next season when he suffered a torn ACL early in the campaign.
Since his return, he’s been one of the top scorers in the AHL, posting 57 goals and 146 points in 155 games over the past three seasons. This year, his 13-29-42 line places him in a tie for sixth in the league in scoring and led to his first midseason All-Star bid.
And as we mentioned, his career line of 73 goals, 108 assists and 181 points are all Monsters records since the franchise came into existence in 2007. With such impressive credentials, the 24-year-old is seen as a leader on the squad even though it’s clear he still has a lot of hockey to play in his career.
“The main thing is being myself,” said Fix-Wolansky, who also has two goals in 16 career NHL games over three seasons. “This is my fifth year here and guys look up to me, so I have to make sure I’m doing whatever I can on the ice and the locker room to prove that I can be a leader.”
Listed at 5-foot-7, Fix-Wolansky is the kind of player that gets under the skin of the opposition, one that teammates love and others love to hate. In a gritty, hard-working city like Cleveland, that mentality has been embraced, and Fix-Wolansky said he’s fit right in and feels the love each time he steps on the ice.
“100 percent,” he said. “At the rink, in the community, Cleveland is a great place to play, and the fans love hockey. I’ve been very fortunate to be in Cleveland for my career.”
