ECHL: Cincinnati Cyclones Season Preview

The Cincinnati Cyclones, in conjunction with the Indy Fuel and Wheeling Nailers, have announced the team’s 2023-24 preseason schedule. For the first time in franchise history, the Cincinnati Cyclones will partake in three preseason games, breaking away from the traditional norm of playing two contests. 

The Cincinnati Cyclones will host the Indy Fuel at Heritage Bank Center on Friday and Saturday, October 13-14, then venture to Wheeling for a Sunday 2 p.m. matinee on October 15, before then hosting the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday, October 21, to kick-off the regular season!

Both Friday and Saturday’s preseason games against Indy will have a 7:30 p.m. puck drop at Heritage Bank Center. All tickets are available now and just $5.00 for the general public. The Cincinnati Cyclones Season Ticket Holders will receive free admission to both home preseason games. 

The Cincinnati Cyclones will then go on to meet the Indy Fuel seven times in the regular season while encountering the Wheeling Nailers 10 times. The Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team is coming off a 103-point season as they clinched the 2022-23 Central Division title in the regular season with a 47-16-6-3 record. The Indy Fuel finished third in the division, securing a playoff berth with a 43-24-5 mark to finish with 91 points. The Wheeling Nailers missed the Kelly Cup Playoffs last year, finishing 29-38-5 and sixth in the Central Division. The Cincinnati Cyclones have 11 players returnee skaters from last year’s Central Division Champions team to re-sign with the Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

Defenseman

The Cincinnati Cyclones have resigned Jalen Smereck, Steven MacLean, and Matt Cairns from last year’s team, with Jalen Smereck making an early impact with the team after scoring goals in each of his first two games and compiling 11 goals and 50 points in 53 games. Jalen Smereck not only led the team’s defense in scoring during the regular season but also led the team as a whole during the playoffs with a seven-point outing through 11 games. Steven MacLean would go on to score two goals and collect six points in 21 regular season games. And Steven MacLean also added an assist and appeared in all 11 postseason games for the Cincinnati Cyclones in the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Matt Cairns played in 45 games and posted six points and accrued 50 penalty minutes last season. During the offseason, the Cincinnati Cyclones have signed Nick Favaro out of Curry College, and during his last season Nick, logging 29 games and scoring eight goals and 25 assists for a 33-point campaign. The team has also signed Landon Cato and Mark Gordon Jr. to an ATO contract and is making their ECHL debut this season. The Cyclones have added some fresh faces to the roster on the defensive side of the ice, with Malcolm Hayes and Billy Constantinou signing their first contract with the Cyclones. Both with some experience in the ECHL to help make another playoff run. It’s always good to return three defensive players that are used to the coaching scheme that Jason Payne has set.

Forwards

The Cincinnati Cyclones have resigned Zack Andrusiak, Patrick Polino, Luka Burzan, James Hardie, Adam Berg, Lee Lapid, Louie Caporusso, and Justin Vaive. Zack Andrusiak led the Cincinnati Cyclones with 32 goals and added 41 assists for a 73-point season, establishing new career highs in all three statistics. He finished tied with Justin Vaive for 12th in goals across the ECHL. Patrick Polino finished fourth in scoring on the Cincinnati Cyclones last year, registering 23 goals and 31 assists for a 54-point campaign. He, along with team captain Justin Vaive, were the only two skaters to appear in every game for the Cincinnati Cyclones last season, including playoffs. In 11 postseason games, Polino scored two goals and posted six points. Luka Burzan was traded to the Cincinnati Cyclones from the Fort Wayne Komets last season, and during his career in Cincinnati, he skated in 17 games for Cincinnati, scoring five goals and eight assists for 13 points. James Hardie appeared in Cincinnati’s last two regular season games, then dressed for 10 of the team’s Kelly Cup Playoff contests, scoring a goal and an assist. James Hardie’s goal was the last goal for the Cincinnati Cyclones in game four of the Central Division Finals. Adam Berg appeared in 19 games with the Cincinnati Cyclones and, scored four goals and tally six points during the regular season. Adam Berg also added two goals in the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs, scoring both against the Toledo Walleye in the Central Division Finals. Lee Lapid scored 13 goals and converted 29 assists for 42 points in 59 regular season games. He went on to add five points in the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs and showed his versatility throughout the season, playing special teams and defense in some scenarios.  Louie Caporusso scored 24 goals and posted 71 points in 68 regular season games with the Cincinnati Cyclones, establishing career highs in goals, assists (48), and points. He finished second in team scoring and was tied for the 16th most points by a player across the ECHL. Justin Vaive is entering his 13th professional season and ninth in Cincinnati. The veteran winger has played 360 of his 700 professional games with the Cyclones. Over the course of his tenure with the Cyclones, the captain has amassed 134 goals and 102 assists for 236 points. Justin Vaive will embark on what is expected to be yet another milestone season. The captain is 55 points shy of Jesse Schultz as the franchise’s all-time points leader, while he sits 14 goals and 99 games back of Don Biggs of the IHL-Cyclones for most goals and games played of anybody to have ever worn a Cyclones jersey. Ironically, Biggs had his #22 retired with the Cyclones, the same number Justin’s father, Rick Vaive, wore throughout his illustrious 13-year NHL career. During the offseason, the Cyclones have signed Jake Bricknell from the Manchester Storm of the EIHL, tallying six goals and 17 points over 44 games. The 6’1″ power forward finished third on the team in penalty minutes with 71. The team has recently added a few new forwards to the squad, such as Eric Atchison, Jake Goldowski, Michal Mrazik & Colton Kalezic. Michal Mrazik has the most ECHL experience out of the entire forwards added to the team. Michal Mrazik spent much of last year with Atlanta in the ECHL, scoring nine goals and totaling 13 points in 31 games for the Atlanta Gladiators. Jake Goldowski made his ECHL debut last season with Jacksonville, posting five points in 16 games. With the Cincinnati Cyclones returning eight forwards from last season’s roster. I’m sure they won’t have too much trouble finding the goal at a high rate.

Goalies

This might be the question mark for the upcoming season for the Cincinnati Cyclones with no returning players from last year’s team. But I will do my best to stay optimistic about the goalie position this year. On the bright side, both goaltenders, Stephen Mundinger and Julian Sime, have spent time with the Cincinnati Cyclones before. Stephen Mundinger was a part of the team’s preseason roster a year ago, and Julian Sime was called-up from SPHL-Knoxville last season, though he did not appear in a game.