Traffic increased on I-71 between the Cleveland Monsters and Columbus Blue Jackets through November and into December bringing along firsts for several players to close out the calendar year.

Forward Eric Robinson started his 2019-20 NHL campaign with a hot streak beginning with his first career goal during his opening appearance on November 12 against the Montreal Canadiens.

Starting to find his rhythm, Robinson notched his first tally in Nationwide Arena on November 19 with the Canadiens once again the opponent. The Bellmawr, NJ, native went on to form his first NHL goal streak after he showed off his speed during a goal versus the Detroit Red Wings on November 21.

Robinson rounded out November playing in three more games averaging 15 shifts and recording five shots. After drawing back into the lineup at the beginning of December, the forward recorded his first assist of the season on the ninth against the Washington Capitals and added two more when Columbus visited the Ottawa Senators on December 14. Robinson continued his second point streak of the season with the game-winning goal in the Blue Jackets 3-0 win against the Capitals on December 16.

Joining Robinson with notable milestones was defenseman Andrew Peeke who received his first call up to the NHL on December 2. The rookie made his NHL debut on home ice December 5 against the New York Rangers recording 17 shifts before heading to a different type of “home ice”.

The Parkland, FL, native played his first game on the road for against his hometown team, the Florida Panthers, on December 7. Peeke finished the night with a plus-1 rating over 16 shifts in front of close to 100 family and fans specifically there to see him.

Peeke recorded his first NHL point when he assisted on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s second goal in the Blue Jackets 3-0 win on December 16. The defenseman continually draws into the lineup for Columbus holding a plus-5 rating and averaged 17 shifts over six games.

Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins returned to the Monsters on November 25 to get some ice time and picked up his first North American win in the process. Facing off against the defending Calder Cup Champion the Charlotte Checkers the next day, Merzlikins stopped 28 shots in the 3-1 road win. The Riga, Latvia native returned to the Blue Jackets after the game, leaving the AHL with a 0.949 save percentage and 1.52 goals against average in his two games played this season.

The Monsters hit the road to faceoff against the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday with an 8:00 p.m. puck drop.