The Cleveland Monsters announced Tuesday that the Monsters signed defensemen Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm and Will MacKinnon to one-year AHL contracts for the 2025-26 AHL season. In 44 appearances for Cleveland last year, Bjorgvik-Holm posted 3-4-7 with 50 penalty minutes and added two penalty minutes in six Calder Cup Playoff games. In 2024-25, MacKinnon appeared in two games for Cleveland, logged 0-4-4 with 42 penalty minutes and a +3 rating in 42 appearances for the AHL’s Utica Comets, and added 0-1-1 with two penalty minutes and a +1 rating in two appearances for the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder.

A 6’4”, 198 lb. left-shooting native of Oslo, Norway, Bjorgvik-Holm, 23, was selected by the Blue Jackets in the fifth round (145th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. In 87 career AHL appearances for Cleveland spanning parts of four seasons from 2020-21 and 2022-25, Bjorgvik-Holm tallied 4-10-14 with 64 penalty minutes. In 76 career ECHL appearances for the Kalamazoo Wings and Cincinnati Cyclones spanning parts of two seasons from 2022-24, Bjorgvik-Holm supplied 6-31-37 with 61 penalty minutes.

Prior to his professional career, Bjorgvik-Holm registered 5-27-32 with 129 penalty minutes in 111 career OHL appearances for the Mississauga Steelheads during the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons, and posted an even rating in a pair of games for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm in 2018-19. Internationally, Bjorgvik-Holm represented Norway at the 2021 and 2023 IIHF World Championships.

A 5’11”, 201 lb. left-shooting native of Plymouth, MI, MacKinnon, 25, tallied 3-7-10 with 83 penalty minutes and a +6 rating in 84 career AHL appearances for the Monsters and Utica spanning parts of two seasons from 2023-25 and added 8-24-32 with 116 penalty minutes and a +40 rating in 119 career ECHL appearances for the Reading Royals and Adirondack spanning parts of four seasons from 2021-25. 

Prior to his professional career, MacKinnon notched 5-19-24 with 64 penalty minutes in 119 career NCAA appearances for the University of New Hampshire spanning four seasons from 2018-22, serving as the Wildcats’ captain in his senior season. MacKinnon additionally registered 3-8-11 with 139 penalty minutes in 91 career USHL appearances for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and the Des Moines Buccaneers spanning two seasons from 2016-18.

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