Monsters announce leadership group for 2021-22 season
Oct 11, 2021The Cleveland Monsters announced Monday that veteran defenseman Dillon Simpson will serve as the team’s captain for the 2021-22 season while forwards Justin Scott and Tyler Sikura will serve as assistant captains. This season marks Simpson’s fourth campaign with Cleveland after signing a three-year AHL contract with the Monsters on October 12, 2020. Scott is entering his sixth year with the Monsters, the only professional club for which he’s competed, and currently sits just four appearances shy of the team’s all-time franchise record for games played. Entering his second season with the Monsters, Sikura finished last year tied for the team-lead in goals (11) and ranked second on Cleveland’s roster with 21 points.
A 6’2”, 192 lb. left-shooting native of Edmonton, AB, Simpson, 28, was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round (92nd overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. In three NHL appearances for Edmonton during the 2016-17 season, Simpson notched two penalty minutes and an even rating and added 32-91-123 with 120 penalty minutes and an even rating in 402 AHL appearances for the Oklahoma City Barons, Bakersfield Condors, and Cleveland spanning seven seasons from 2014-21. Prior to his professional career, Simpson registered 16-59-75 with 48 penalty minutes and a +22 rating in 156 NCAA appearances for the University of North Dakota spanning four seasons from 2010-14. Simpson wore the captain’s “C” for North Dakota in 2013-14 and helped the program claim the 2010-11 and 2011-12 WCHA Championships. Simpson was additionally named to the 2011-12 and 2012-13 WCHA All-Academic Teams and the 2013-14 NCHC First All-Star Team.
A 6’1”, 194 lb. left-shooting native of Burlington, ON, Scott, 26, posted 40-47-87 with 274 penalty minutes and a +2 rating in 260 AHL appearances, all for the Monsters, spanning five seasons from 2016-21. Prior to his professional career, Scott supplied 69-78-147 with 152 penalty minutes and a +65 rating in 251 OHL appearances for the Barrie Colts spanning four seasons from 2012-16.
A 6’0”, 185 lb. left-shooting native of Aurora, ON, Sikura, 29, tallied 55-58-113 with 70 penalty minutes and a +14 rating in 238 AHL appearances for the Springfield Falcons, Portland Pirates, Iowa Wild, Rockford IceHogs, and Cleveland spanning parts of seven seasons from 2014-21. In 115 ECHL appearances for the Toledo Walleye and Manchester Monarchs spanning parts of two seasons from 2015-17, Sikura contributed 30-52-82 with 40 penalty minutes and a +22 rating. Prior to his professional career, Sikura logged 36-56-92 with 61 penalty minutes and a +9 rating in 125 NCAA appearances for Dartmouth College spanning four seasons from 2011-15. Sikura wore the captain’s “C” for Dartmouth from 2013-15 and was named to the 2012-13 All-Ivy League First Team.
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