ECHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Cincinnati Cyclones

Who Has Signed So Far?

Defensemen: Josh Burnside, Landon Cato, Steven Maclean, Matt Murphy, Nikola Knyzhov

Forwards: Justin Vaive, Patrick Bajkov, Kyle Bollers, Matt Boudens, Louie Caporusso, Lincoln Griffin, Nick Isaacson, Remy Parker, Dante Sheriff

Goalie: Jon Gillies

Traded (un-signed so far): Tristan Ashbrook (F), Keeghan Howdeshell (F)

I anticipate that Tristan Ashbrook, who was traded from the Adirondack Thunder for Patrick Polino, will sign with the Cyclones before the season. It’s possible that he may have already signed, but the announcement hasn’t been made yet. Keeghan Howdeshell, who was traded to Cincy this offseason, went on a professional tryout (PTO) with the AHL’s Scranton Penguins. Depending on how his tryout goes, he might not be with Cincy for the upcoming season.

According to ECHL rules, 21 players can be on the Active Roster for the first month of the season, but this will decrease to 20 after the initial month. There will not be enough space to fit all of the players in camp right now due to the number of players sent down from Toronto, so some tough roster decisions will be made soon.

Seven Players Assigned by Toronto Marlies

Who Will Be Between the Pipes?

Jon Gillies, who was acquired on a PTO by Toronto earlier this month, was signed by the Cyclones on October 10th. Gillies has played in the NHL and AHL throughout his career, spending time with the Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, and New Jersey Devils, along with their AHL affiliates. Adding a seasoned veteran like Gillies in the net will be huge for this Cyclones team, especially for younger goaltenders who will see time this season.

On October 9th, Pavel Cajan (G) was assigned to the Cyclones from the AHL Cleveland Monsters. Last season, he saw time with the Cleveland Monsters, Kalamazoo Wings, and the Cyclones. In six games with the Cyclones, he had a 2-3-1 record with a 0.902 save %.

Pre-Season Game?

The Cincinnati Cyclones will face the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday, October 12th on the road in Wheeling, West Virginia in their only Pre-Season matchup. You can listen to the game audio below on that Saturday at 6:00 PM ET:

Cincinnati Cyclones (mixlr.com)

Potential Lineup for Game 1

Vaive – Caporusso – Ashbrook
Griffin – Sherrif – Voit
Bajkov – Boudens – Isaacson
Frasca – Sikic – Gosselin

Burnside – McCleary
MacLean – Murphy
Parsons – Sharpe

Gillies
Cajan

Road Trip to Open the Season

The Cyclones open up their 2024-2025 regular season schedule on the road against the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday, October 19 in Michigan, then head to Fort Wayne, Indiana, facing off on October 25th against the Komets. Opening faceoff at Heritage Bank Center will be the next night, on Saturday, October 26th vs the Indy Fuel, in a likely packed-out arena full of Cyclones fans. The Cyclones aim to push back into the Kelly Cup Playoffs after missing out last year. It was the first time they missed the playoffs since 2017.

Read below on the Promo Schedule for the slate of Cincinnati Cyclones home games this upcoming season:

ECHL: Cincinnati Cyclones Release 2024-2025 Promo Schedule | Inside The Rink

Cap is Back!

35-year-old veteran Justin Vaive, Captain of the Cyclones, is back for another season in the Queen City. Before his professional career, he spent four years at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, only 50 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. He has grown to love the city and its fans over the years and is truly the heart of the Cyclones. He has played 405 games for the Cyclones, scoring 147 goals, the most in the history of the Cyclones (1995-Present). Below is what he had to say about the young players joining the Cyclones for the upcoming season:

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how hard it is jumping into the pro game. It’s something really special, being able to mentor those young guys as much as you can. I take a lot of pride in that.”