On October 11th, the Cleveland Monsters announced their leadership group for the 2021-22 season. Defender Dillon Simpson was named captain, while forwards Justin Scott and Tyler Sikura were named alternate captains.
Heading into his 35th year of coaching, Mike Eaves constantly stresses the importance of dependable leadership.
“We as coaches are in the room maybe 10% of the time. 90% of the time they’re around each other,” explained Eaves. “You need to have those gentlemen who beat the same drum that you’re banging or the same rhythm at any rate when you’re not in the locker room.” Due to this fact, Eaves and the coaching staff are quite satisfied with their choices of captains for the season.
For Eaves, the highlight of Simpson’s skills is the “six inches between his ears” which allow him to think like a coach. “He understands what needs to get done. So, he’s an extension of us,” said Coach Eaves. On the flip side of things, Simpson credits the coach staff with being able to embrace his leadership skills. “Since Eaver (Eaves) arrived here, we’ve had a good back and forth. All the coaches are really great talking to players, kind of bouncing ideas off each other,” explained Simpson.
According to Sikura, naming Simpson the captain was a “no brainer”. “He’s one of the more put together guys I think I’ve ever met,” explained Sikura. “He’s in charge of the scheduling; he’s on top of everything. He likes that control and he’s a guy that everybody just expects.”
Being the new kid on the block, Sikura was honored to be given the role of alternate captain, stating that: “It’s something that I don’t take for granted,” especially since he’s a bubble player who will likely be called up to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the season goes on. “You don’t necessarily think that when you’re a call-up guy and going back and forth that you’re going to be somebody who’s established,” said Sikura. “You’re just living day by day and trying to stick around.”
Scott may not be the new kid on the block, as he’s playing in his sixth season with the Monsters. But, the honor of being named alternate captain is just as tremendous. Part of his deep feelings towards being part of the leadership stems from his love for the team, the fans, and the city of Cleveland.
“I’ve loved it since I got here. In my opinion, it’s the best market in the American Hockey League,” said Scott of the market in Cleveland. Scott expanded on his love of the Monsters organization, stating: “It’s fun being a part of this franchise. It seems like we always have a good team, and are always competitive.”
Coach Eaves believes part of the reason why the Monsters are a consistently good team is due to the fact they have a locker room full of leaders — not just the leadership group which was named earlier this month, but the entire team is full of strong leaders.
“They carry the ball, they bang the drum, and they all march together in terms of what we’re trying to get done here,” said Eaves. It’s the reason why the Monsters will have an expanded leadership core as the season chugs along. “We’ll invite another group of guys to join them and we’ll meet once a month,” explained Eaves. “That helps us keep our pulse on the team and to get a broader base of leadership so that we really don’t miss anything.”
From a leadership standpoint, it appears as though the Cleveland Monsters are off to a strong start.
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