Monarchs Coverage

At #16 on our list of Top 25 Under 25 (years old) in the Kings organization, Kevin Gravel didn't have much in the way of job security. After landing an AHL-only deal, though, Gravel eventually became a fixture in the Manchester lineup. After a Calder Cup run in which Gravel appeared in every game, he finally got a full contract from the Los Angeles Kings. The news was broken on a wider scale by Jon Rosen, but the original reveal came from the Macko and Cauz show on TSN Radio. Yesterday, they interviewed Paul Bissonnette to discuss his old Coyotes squad and his current Monarchs squad. When asked about guys he was particularly happy for in the Manchester dressing room after the Calder Cup win, Bissonnette responded: "One that stands out would probably be Kevin Gravel. He was drafted by the Kings and I think he had a really tough last year of college and they ended up, I think, signing him just to an American [Hockey] League deal. And since I've been here, he was by far the most improved and I found out yesterday the team actually re-upped him and gave him a max contract with a signing bonus for two years. I was ecstatic for him because he deserved it and that was something he missed out on because he had a tough last year of college... they didn't necessarily have to give him that signing bonus but he earned it and they went out and did that, and that just says all you need to know about Dean and the staff in LA." Great way to top off an already great year.

The Manchester Monarchs have signed three-time 20-goal scorer Jonny Brodzinski to an ATO. The 21-year-old sniper from Blaine, Minn. decided to forego his senior season and joined fellow Huskies Kevin Gravel and Nic Dowd shortly after St. Cloud State was eliminated from Frozen Four contention by defense prospect Paul LaDue and his North Dakota team. Brodzinski has been sidelined by a minor ankle sprain and is expected to be inserted into the lineup once he's fully healthy. Here is what we had to say about him last year. I suspect that the Kings will sign him to an ELC soon, although I suppose there's no real rush to get it done immediately.

Head Coach Mike Stothers has been awarded the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award: http://t.co/smgIv3COoC pic.twitter.com/hiRr8WsYY8

— Manchester Monarchs (@MonarchsHockey) April 15, 2015

Head Coach Mike Stothers took what appeared to be a pretty decent roster on paper and turned them into the best team in the AHL. The Monarchs didn't look like they were going to be as stacked as they were last year, when Tanner Pearson, Linden Vey and Tyler Toffoli all started the year in Manchester. Without the top line and Martin Jones, no one expected this group to completely dominate the AHL. However, many guys stepped up, including Nick Shore (who was red hot most of the time he was there), J.F. Berube and rookie Patrik Bartosak. Congratulations to Coach Stothers on a job well done. Hopefully it results in a Calder Cup.

Plugs gonna plug. pic.twitter.com/RUkg6a9Bs7

— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) March 29, 2015

Paul Bissonette, Josh Gratton and Ryan Horvat all chipped in offensively today as the Monarchs came back from an early 1-goal deficit in the first period to secure the win against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.