The Cleveland Monsters begin the second round of the American Hockey League playoffs Wednesday, facing the Laval Rocket. The North Division Semifinals series starts with Game 1 in Cleveland.
The Monsters advanced after winning their opening-round series against the Toronto Marlies. Laval, the top team in the North Division, received a bye through the first round.
While Laval finished the regular season first in the league standings, earning them home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, the series begins with the first two games hosted by the Monsters in Cleveland. The series then shifts to Laval for the remaining games. Details for fan attendance in Cleveland are available here.
The Laval Rocket enter the series with sights set firmly on winning the Calder Cup. They finished the regular season with a 48-19-0-5 record.
The Rocket anticipate the return of forward Brandon Gignac for Game 1. Goaltender Jacob Fowler is expected to start in net, as Cayden Primeau is currently with the Montreal Canadiens due to injury circumstances. More on the Rocket's preparation can be found here.
Other players expected to feature prominently for Laval include Sean Farrell, Laurent Dauphin, Alex Barre-Boulet, Owen Beck, and Joshua Roy. The team also features depth players like Jared Davidson and Florian Xhekaj. Defensive pairings may include Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher.
Game 1 of the series between the Rocket and the Cleveland Monsters is available for viewing on RDS and AHL TV. Game details can be found on the official AHL site here.
The series opener is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
