The Manchester Monarchs have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001 and their ECHL affiliates are the Ontario Reign. The teams’ current head coach is Mark Morris and the franchise’s general manger is Canadian hockey legend Rob Blake.
History:
Howard Baldwin founded the Manchester Hockey Group in 1999, with the aim of moving an AHL franchise to New Hampshire. The plan was that the new franchise would begin play in the 2001-2002 season. However, in June 2000, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings decided to buy the new team from Harold Baldwin and make it their AHL affiliate.
It was decided that the new team would play in the newly constructed Verizon Wireless Arena and on November 13, it was christened as the Manchester Monarchs.
AHL Journey:
The Monarchs played their inaugural game on the 6th of October, 2001 against the Lowell Lock Monsters and won their first game against the Norfolk Admirals a week later. The team had a successful run in their first season, and made it to the playoffs, with a .563 winning percentage.
The team was able to replicate its good run from their previous season and once again made it to the playoffs next season. However, just like before, their run was brought to a stop in the first round of the playoffs, when they were beaten by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Following another similar display in their third season, when they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Worcester IceCats, the Monarchs went on to win their first division title in the 2004-2005 season. However, they were eliminated again in the first round of the playoffs. The same fate awaited the team in the next season as well.
However, the team was finally able to break their jinx of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs next season, when they posted their best season to date. With a .688 winning percentage, the team won the division title again and for the first time in its history progressed beyond the first round of the playoffs. They made it all the way to the last round of the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Hershey Bears 4-0.
Since then, barring the 2009 season, when the team did not make the playoffs for the first time in their history, and the 2010 season, when they once again reached the last round of the playoffs, the team has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Overall the team has made it to the playoffs eleven times in twelve seasons and has won two regular season titles and two Division Championships. Manchester Monarchs tickets will give you the opportunity of watching the highly talented Monarchs live in action, as they try to convert their consistency in the league into a Calder Cup Championship winning team.