ECHL: Cincinnati Cyclones: Player Profile: Louie Caporusso

Louie Caporusso was born on June 21st, 1989, in Toronto, Ontario. He stands at 5 foot 9, weighs 185 lbs, and plays center/left wing, shooting left-handed. Caporusso began his junior years playing in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) for the Toronto Red Wings, where he led the league in points during the 2004–05 season. He was then drafted by the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), but instead played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OPJHL) for the St. Michael’s Buzzers, leading them to a championship in 2007, scoring 33 points in 20 playoff games, gaining interest from the NCAA Division One level and NHL. He was later drafted 90th overall (3rd Round) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

After the 2006-2007 season in the OPJHL, he began his tenure at the University of Michigan, where he would spend 4 years.  He was named to the All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) first team during the 2008–09 season and was a first-team AHCA/Reebok Division I Ice Hockey All-American. He also led the nation in goals scored for most of the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men’s season and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist that year. He finished his NCAA career with a total of 144 points in 160 games played, and this impressive play earned him a signing in 2011 with the Ottawa Senators.

He began his professional career with Binghamton Senators, where he only played 13 games before he was later sent down to the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals. In 41 regular-season games with the Jackals, he scored 45 points and racked up 8 playoff points in 6 games in the 2013 Kelly Cup Playoffs. He began the 2013-2014 season with the Reading Royals, scoring 28 points in 24 games, before heading to Germany to play for Augsburger Panther of the DEL league mid-season. He would end up spending the next 7 seasons playing throughout Europe, for the Augsburger Panther (Germany), Iserlohn Roosters (Germany), Brynas IF (Sweden), & Isiago (Italy). In the DEL league, he played a career total of 218 games, scoring 182 points (78 goals, 104 assists) in 6 years.

After not playing in the 2020-2021 season, he came back to the United States and began playing for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL Central Division. In his first season with the Cyclones, he scored 66 points in 67 regular season games and tacked on 5 points in 6 Kelly Cup Playoff games in the 2022 post-season. In the 2022-2023 season, he scored 71 points in 68 regular season games, and 2 points in 11 Kelly Cup Playoff games. He was sidelined for most of the 2023-2024 season due to a sports hernia that occurred in January. Despite this setback, he managed to tally 29 points (10 goals and 19 assists) in just 34 games early on in the season, showcasing his playmaking abilities. It’s expected that he will return to the Cyclones in the Fall with a signing likely coming soon, and his presence will be key in the team’s development, particularly in terms of offensive power.

Awards:

OPJHL Champion (2005-2006)
NCAA (CCHA) Champion (2007-2008)
NCAA (CCHA) First All-Star Team (2008-2009)
NCAA (West) First All-American Team (2008-2009)
NCAA Top Collegiate Player (Hobey Baker Award) Finalist (2008-2009)
NCAA (CCHA) Champion (2009-2010)
NCAA (CCHA) Regular-Season Champion (2010-2011)
Italy Champion (2019-2020)