Reclaiming the Throne: Minneapolis Monarchs

Author: Jack Levy

PC: MLQ

Last Season:

The 2023 season marked the end of the Minneapolis Monarchs’ dominance of the North, but the start of a new hope for the franchise. For the first time since the pandemic, the Monarchs failed to defend the crown. The team started their season with a close home series against the Innovators, in which two of the games came down to flag catches. They then traveled to Chicago, where the Prowl sent the Monarchs flying back to Minnesota without a chance at the division title. Minneapolis ended the regular season taking care of business against the Rochester Whiteout in two games.

In Iowa, the Monarchs flew to new heights when they won the wild card bracket, the first North division team to do so. Not only did they soar past the Kansas City Stampede, but they withstood the heat from the Boston Forge; something they couldn’t do in 2021. Their season ended when the New York Titans won in two lopsided games. Despite their loss of the North division title and the tough out at MLQ Championships, the Monarchs returned to their normal migration patterns with a sign of hope. The wild-card bracket win was a major sign of life for the future of Minneapolis. Throughout this month the butterflies are soaring home for the summer to reclaim the North.

Returning Players:

Matthew Bessard (Twin Cities)

Terry Carlson (Twin Cities)

Mike Devine (Twin Cities)

Joe Goulet (Twin Cities)

Zeke Majeske (Brew Cities)

Meredith McDowell (Minnesota)

Max Meier (Twin Cities)

Cody Narveson (Twin Cities)

Anna Nelson (Minnesota)

Nicole Nelson (Twin Cities)

Alexander Obanor (Twin Cities)

Emma Persons (Twin Cities)

Ben Schlueter (Twin Cities)

Samantha Schwartz (Twin Cities)

Jack Sellner

Addie Sobczak (Twin Cities)

Seth Swenson (Brew Cities)

Nathan Podolsky (Twin Cities)

Ben Zimet (Twin Cities)

New Players:

Brady Charles (Columbia College)

Bryn Gustafson (Minnesota)

Gabriel Hansen (Minnesota)

Nadja Melby (Boom Train)

Nels Parenteau (Minnesota)

Peyton Schwiebert (Emerson)

Maya Shrestha (Brew Cities)

Emily Storm (Minnesota)

Phoebe Thomas (Macalester)

Rory Uskavitch (Minnesota)

Cecelia Voth (Columbia College)

Breakdown:

College : 11

Minnesota: 7

Columbia College: 2

Emerson: 1

Macalester: 1

Club: 18

Twin Cities: 14

Brew Cities: 3

Boom Train: 1

Unaffiliated: 1

Notable Losses:

Henry Baer-Benson

Joe Blanchard

Cassandra Evans

Jonah Fuhrman

Gracie Johnson

Cole Lachmiller

Katie Papador

Chris Preston

Sydney Stommes

Emily Sveda

Cole Treml

The Season Ahead:

For the first time since 2019, the Monarchs have a four series regular season. All eyes will turn towards their season opener when the MLQ runner-up Chicago Prowl makes their way to Minnesota. The Prowl v. Monarch matchup is one that always pops off the MLQ schedule every summer, but this year’s is especially interesting. Since 2020, the Monarchs are up 6-3 on the Prowl, but with Chicago winning the pivotal series last season, Minneapolis is looking to take the throne back. Chicago enters the season as the defending North champions, but Minneapolis is looking to return to its dominance with a win over division favorites.

Afterward Minneapolis flies to Detroit, where they take on the Innovators and the Riff in the first North division super series in five seasons. Last year’s Monarchs v. Innovators series was one of the best matchups of the season, with two close games ending in flag catches. They will be taking on a young, but now experienced, Innovators roster. In the same weekend, they will have to battle the Cleveland Riff, who they haven’t played in two years. The last time the Riff and the Monarchs met, Minneapolis took the series, but Cleveland still left with a game. With how close the Detroit series was last year and the opportunity to play an up and coming Cleveland team, this should make for one of the most exciting weekends of the year.

In a tight turnaround, the Monarchs need to flap their forewings to Toronto where they look to take on the Raiders in a long-awaited battle. When the two teams last played each other in 2019, Minneapolis took the series 2-1, with two games only separated by five points. In all those years of a Monarch-dominated North division, the one team they never faced was Toronto. Everyone is excited for these two teams to battle again in the last week of the regular season.

Season Potentials:

The Monarchs are looking to retake the division this season. As they migrate back up North for the warm summer weather, Minneapolis has three goals for the season ahead. First, to reclaim their throne and reestablish themselves as the rulers of the North. Ever since their loss to Chicago last year, this team has been itching to get their title back. In addition to beating Chicago, they have to take on Detroit, who they had a close series with last season, and Cleveland and Toronto, both of whom Minneapolis has dropped a game to in their most recent series.

A second goal for the Monarchs is to merge together as a new kaleidoscope. For the first time in a long time, one-third of this Monarchs roster is made up of new players. More than a third of the team is also made up of college players, ranging from University of Minnesota, Columbia College Chicago, to Emerson College and Macalester College. Many of these players were also caterpillars from last season on the Monarchs’ practice squad and have undergone a metamorphosis into butterflies. This gives the Monarchs the opportunity to incorporate new talent into their lineup of former North division champions.

The third, and ever-daunting, goal is to win a bracket game at MLQ Championships. For the past three seasons, the Monarchs have always fallen at the same spot; the first round of bracket play. In 2021 it was Boston, in 2022 it was San Antonio, and in 2023 it was New York. Much like the orange colors from the monarch butterfly, the energy surrounding Minneapolis at champs last season was vibrant with their historic play-in bracket run. The next step is getting to the semifinals. Winning a game in that first round has seemed to always plague Minneapolis, but riding off the energy from last year might set them up to take this next step.

Why They Won’t:

While these goals are certainly in reach for the Monarchs, a few obstacles stand in their way. First, the team will have to travel a lot against strong opponents. Everyone knows that in the past two seasons, the Prowl have been increasing in strength. While the Monarchs have a better chance of beating Chicago this year than they did last year, Prowl will still be favored, especially after their finals run. The Monarchs also struggled against the Innovators last season at home. The Innovators have geared up more since last season, and will give the Monarchs a tougher series than last year. Playing in Detroit might be a difference maker in a tight series. Minneapolis will also have to play the Riff in the same weekend, a team that was able to take a game off them in their 2021 season. Considering how close the Cleveland-Detroit series and the Detroit-Minneapolis series were last year, Minneapolis will have to fend off two strong opponents after an 11 hour drive (for comparison the Cleveland trip is under three hours). The traveling doesn’t stop after the superseries, as the Monarchs will have a 14 hour trip to Toronto with just one weekend in between. This gives Minneapolis only a few practices to prepare for a Raider team they haven’t faced in years. While Minneapolis certainly has a tough schedule, if any team is equipped to handle the travel, it is the Monarchs, who are known for their long, multi-generational, biannual migrations.

Speaking of the Monarch’s migration, some butterflies couldn’t make the daunting trip to their summer home in Minneapolis. The most notable absence might be Henry Baer-Benson. Baer-Benson was tied for second in the league for regular season flag catches, and caught in half of the games he was rostered for. Three of those catches came against Detroit, when the team needed them most. His loss will certainly be felt all summer. The Monarchs also took a big hit in their beater depth. Out of the 446 drives of the Monarch’s regular season, Gracie Johnson and Joe Blanchard played a combined 141 of them. This season, the Monarchs are losing both Johnson and Blanchard, which is a huge hit considering the frequency at which those two dominated the pitch last year. The team also took some major hits in the chaser game. Sydney Stommes, Cole Lachmiller, and Cassandra Evans, three chasers the Monarchs relied heavily on last season, won’t be returning. In order for the Monarchs to reclaim the throne, they will need to find players to replace key pieces at seeking, beating, and chasing.

Why They Will:

Fortunately, it seems as if the Monarchs are in the perfect position to find those replacements. The headline addition for the franchise is Nadja Melby. Melby just won a national title during the USQ season with Boom Train, and will play a critical role for the Monarchs. Expect to see Melby play major minutes throughout the season and be one of the league leaders in stops and drives played. Maya Shrestha, a member of the Brew City Warriors, is another vital club division addition. Expect her to help fill the chasing spots on the roster. The Monarchs also gained a handful of young talent to the roster. Expect the new wave of University of Minnesota players, Emily Storm, Bryn Gustafson, Rory Uskavitch, Nels Parenteau, and Gabriel Hansen, to take flight after their strong showing in the D2 field. Coming off a great season and D1 nationals bid, Brady Charles and Cecilia Voth from the Columbia College Renegades are migrating from Illinois to Minneapolis. The franchise also added two other standout college players this season, Peyton Schweibert out of Emerson and Phoebe Thomas out of Macalester. The Monarchs are adding a large wave of new talent, so despite their many absences from last season, the team has new players ready to take the skies.

The Monarchs also have some butterflies looking to take flight after staying land bound due to injury. After missing last season, Emma Persons is ready to take the field with the team. The United States National Team chaser played a huge role for the Monarchs during their 2021 and 2022 division title runs. Person’s return is one of the headlines coming into the season for the Monarchs, and as we’ve seen in the past this team can soar to new heights with Persons on the field. Persons isn’t the only Monarch returning from injury. Beater Nicole Nelson, who also was out last season, is ready to return to the pitch. As highlighted earlier in the article, given the high number of drives played the Monarchs will need to replace from last season, Nelson will almost certainly take on a pivotal role for the Monarchs’ season. Another key piece from the team’s division title runs, Nelson’s return is huge for the franchise.

The Monarchs also returned a lot of their stars from last season. The team kept intact a good portion of their strong beater corps; Cody Naverson, Meredith McDowell, Ben Schlueter, and Nathan Podolsky. Zeke Majeske, who has only seen minutes at chaser in MLQ, is making the transition to beater for the Monarchs this season. The Monarchs also are returning some of their top scorers from last season in Max Meier, Alexander Obanor, and Terry Carlson. Meier finished the regular season as the fourth best scorer in goals per game. Ben Zimet is another crucial piece who is returning, as they led the Monarchs last year in assists. Despite losing Baer-Benson, the Monarchs also have a lot of great seekers returning. Joe Goulet, who caught in the Prowl series last season, will likely see his role in the yellow headband increase. Mike Devine also might see an added role as a seeker this year. After primarily playing chaser during the regular season, Devine exploded onto the scene at MLQ Championships as a seeker. He ended up catching three times, tied for most of any player in Iowa, during the Monarch’s historic postseason run. With the new players they are rostering, the crucial additions that are coming off injuries, and the return of a lot of their talent from last year, the Monarchs have the pieces they need to continue the momentum they left off with at the end of 2024.