A New Sherrif’s in Town
With Sean Allen, AKA “The Sherriff,” leaving the Cyclones for the Florida Everblades, who have won the last three Kelly Cups, Cincinnati was in need of a new “sheriff.” The Cincinnati Cyclones, funny enough, then acquired 25-year-old forward Dante Sheriff from the Tulsa Oilers in exchange for defenseman Jack Clement and the rights to forward Kieran Craig. Hopefully, he is signed and not a no-show trade because he would be a big difference-maker for the team. While playing for the Oilers last season, Sheriff scored 49 points in 62 games and contributed two points in four games during the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoff. Throughout his ECHL career with the Oilers, he has accumulated 79 points in 113 games. Before starting his professional career, Sheriff spent two seasons at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, recording 42 points in 52 games with the Lakers. Additionally, he has played in various leagues such as NAHL (Austin Bruins), USHL (Muskegon Lumberjacks & Fargo Force), GOJHL (Brampton Bombers), SCTA (Brampton 45’s & Halton Hurricanes), and GTHL (Vaughan Kings) before advancing to the NCAA D1 level. Here are some awards he has earned throughout his career so far:
NAHL All-Central Division Team (2018-2019)
NAHL Second All-Star Team (2018-2019)
NAHL (Central) Forward of the Year (2019-2020)
NAHL (Central) Most Valuable Player (2019-2020)
NAHL All-Central Division Team (2019-2020)
NAHL First All-Star Team (2019-2020)
NAHL Most Assists (45) (2019-2020)
Jason Payne, Head Coach of the Cyclones, had a brief statement on the addition of Sherrif below:
“He is a shifty player with high offensive capabilities. He can make plays and put the puck in the net.”
Payne’s thoughts on Sherrif
Louie!
On Friday, the Cyclones announced that they re-signed forward Louie Caporusso, a fan favorite on the team. The 34-year-old is 6th all-time for scoring in Cyclones history with 167 points. This will be his 4th straight season playing with the Cyclones after spending the majority of his career in Europe. He will be a great role model for the younger players this upcoming season, especially with many coming down to the ECHL with the new Toronto affiliation. Read below on what he had to say about coming back to Cincy for another year:
“Ultimately I realized that I have a lot of life to live not playing and I only have so many years left that I could play,” said Caporusso on his decision to return. “I have a little boy now and I just thought, you know, it would be sweet to play in front of him and there’s nothing that I love more than playing hockey.”
Louie on returning to Cincinnati
Two More D-Men Return
Also, the Cincinnati Cyclones signed 21-year-old right-handed defenseman Landon Cato, bringing him back for a second season. In his rookie year, he played 32 games and had three points. Notably, Cato was part of the first all-black starting lineup in professional hockey history and also showcased potential for growth throughout the season. Prior to joining the Cyclones, Cato spent three seasons with the Niagra IceDogs, where he served as Captain in his final season (2022-2023). Below are details on how he plans to develop his game as he progresses in his professional career:
“Last year I got a good amount of games in and I’m hoping to play every game this year. I’m trying to get ready for that”, said Cato. “It’s a big jump from junior to pro so just learning those little things on how to take care of your body and learning from some of the older guys in our dressing room that have been there before is great.”
Cato’s thoughts on how he can grow his game
Also, Cyclones recently announced that left-handed defenseman Josh Burnside will be making a comeback for the 2024-25 season. Burnside’s return marks the third defenseman signing for the team, joining Steven MacLean and Landon Cato. With 33 points accumulated over three seasons, Burnside has proven to be a valuable asset on the back end, and his potential for growth is promising.
Bobo Goes Overseas
Earlier this Summer, the Cincinnati Cyclones acquired forwards Bobo Carpenter and Zach Tsekos from the Florida Everblades to complete the future considerations trade that sent Zack Andrusiak to Florida at the trade deadline. 2024 Kelly Cup Champion Bobo Carpenter went overseas to play for the Belfast Giants (EIHL) of the United Kingdom. Carpenter, who recently led the Florida Everblades to a third consecutive Kelly Cup, served as an assistant captain this past season. The 27-year-old accumulated 46 points during the regular season and outperformed all Florida skaters with 23 points and 12 goals during the team’s extended playoff run. This is a miss for the Cyclones, but I did not expect him to end up in Cincinnati for this upcoming season, given he has already won a Kelly Cup, and the pay overseas is better.
ECHL: 2024 Kelly Cup Champion is Heading Overseas | Inside The Rink
What to Expect More Of:
Cyclones fans should expect more signings every week up until the season begins, typically in the afternoon on Wednesdays. Many players are already signed with the club, including many of the key core players, but are still currently “unannounced.” Most of the other ECHL teams have announced the majority of their signings, but the Cyclones seem to be different in their announcing schedule. I would expect Justin Vaive to be announced eventually, along with some other core players from last season, and even some new faces as well.
I would also expect for the promo schedule to be released soon. Many of the games are already released, such as the popular NYE fireworks game and Pride night on November 1st. Check out my article with their entire schedule below:
ECHL: Cincinnati Cyclones Release 2024-2025 Schedule | Inside The Rink
It’s difficult to loose players to better paying teams in Europe.