Manchester Monarchs ( AHL ) The Manchester Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League ( AHL ) . They played in Manchester , New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena . They had been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since their founding in 2001 . History . The Monarchs played their first game on October 6 , 2001 against the Lowell Lock Monsters , losing 6 – 3 . Their first win was a week later , on October 13 , 2001 , against the Norfolk Admirals . The team had been competitive within the division every year of its existence . They won their first Atlantic Division title in 2004 – 05 , but lost in the first round to the Providence Bruins . This continued the streak of first round playoff exits , which the team had experienced in every year of existence , and would come to include the 2005 – 06 season . 2006 – 07 was the team ' s best season to date . With rookie head coach Mark Morris , leading scorers Matt Moulson and Noah Clarke , and former league MVP Jason LaBarbera in goal , the team had their best finish ever , winning the Atlantic Division title with the second - best points total in the league . Heading into the playoffs , there was doubts within the team , as star goaltender LaBarbera had ended the season injured . The team faced the Worcester Sharks in the first round . With LaBarbera coming back by Game 2 , the Monarchs defeated the Sharks in six games , including double - overtime thrillers in Games 2 and 6 . The second round brought the Providence Bruins , who put up as much — if not more — of a fight . The Monarchs found a way , however , and defeated the Bruins in six games . This brought the Monarchs to their first ever Eastern Conference finals , but they were swept by the defending champions — the Hershey Bears — in four games . Following their run in 2007 , the Monarchs looked to have holes to fill , as Jason LaBarbera was brought up to the Kings , along with several other players . The 2007 – 08 season was an up and down one , which ended following a sweep by the Providence Bruins in the first round of the playoffs . 2008 – 09 was a landmark year for the franchise , but not in the way they would hope . Despite a late surge , the team finished fifth , five points out of the playoffs , for the first time in franchise history . The first half of the 2009 – 10 season has proven to be successful for that year ' s Monarchs squad . Several players have been promoted to Los Angeles , including Rich Clune and Alec Martinez . The Monarchs won their home opener of the 2010 – 11 season , as David Meckler scored the game - winning goal in front of 9 , 035 fans at the Verizon Wireless Arena on October 16 , 2010 . The game was also noteworthy as left wing Brandon Kozun and center Justin Azevedo were awarded penalty shots , the first time in franchise history that two players were awarded penalty shots in the same game . The Manchester Monarchs have made it to the playoffs all but one season since coming into existence , but have yet to win the Calder Cup . For the 2014 – 15 season , the Monarchs ditched the purple and gold colors of the Los Angeles Lakers ( and former Kings ' colors ) that had been with the team since its inception , and adopted the same black and silver color scheme that the Kings have used since 2011 . On January 29 , 2015 , it was confirmed by the AHL via press conference that the Monarchs will relocate from Manchester , N . H . , to Ontario , California . In return the Ontario Reign of the ECHL will move to Manchester to become the new ECHL Manchester Monarchs , the first ECHL team to play in New England . The Monarchs finished the regular season winning the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the best record of the AHL , with Brian O ' Neill receiving the Les Cunningham Award as Most Valuable Player . The playoffs saw the Monarchs losing only three games among the Eastern teams , leading to the team ' s first Richard F . Canning Trophy as conference champions to qualify for the 2015 Calder Cup final . The Monarchs beat the Utica Comets 4 - 1 to win the Calder Cup in their last season in New Hampshire . They became the first team since the New Brunswick Hawks in 1982 to win the Calder Cup in their last game of existence , and fourth overall ( along with the Pittsburgh Hornets in 1967 and the Buffalo Bisons in 1970 ) .