CINCINNATI CYCLONES NEW RANGERS ECHL AFFILIATE
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has entered an affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. The Cyclones will function as a development affiliate for New York and the club’s primary developmental affiliate, the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
“The New York Rangers are excited to have reached an affiliate agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones,” said Drury. “The organization constantly looks at the best ways to develop our prospects and we look forward to Cincinnati, as well as the continued support of the Hartford Wolf Pack, being a huge part of that process.”
The Cyclones play their home games at Heritage Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. The city has iced Cyclones teams with three franchises in two leagues (IHL, ECHL). The modern era of Cyclones hockey began with the 2006-07 season when the Cyclones began playing in the ECHL for the second time.
“We’re elated and honored to be entering an affiliation with the New York Rangers,” said Cyclones Team President Ray Harris. “The Rangers bring with them a deep tradition of excellence on and off the ice. Our teams are united and share the common goal of developing players within a winning culture. We know this is the right move for our organization to help return a championship back to Cincinnati.”
Since returning to the league for the 2006-07 season, the Cyclones have claimed two Kelly Cup Championships (2008 and 2010), three E.A. “Bud” Gingher Memorial Trophies as Eastern Conference Champions (2008, 2010, and 2014), and two Brabham Cups as the league’s regular season points champion (2008 and 2019).
The Cyclones posted a record of 47-16-6-3 during the 2022-23 season, good for 103 points. The club defeated the Fort Wayne Komets in the Kelly Cup Playoffs opening round before falling to the Toledo Walleye in the Central Division Finals.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be able to say the Cyclones are the ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, an original six franchise,” said Cyclones Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jason Payne.
“It doesn’t get much better than New York. We are proud to partner with such a prestigious organization. Their logo, along with ours, will be on full display in the room to represent family and a commitment to culture. We’re here to develop the next AHL and NHL players, and one of the first things our team will see when they enter the doors is the Wolf Pack and Rangers logos. That’s what it’s all about. Working hard every day to earn your opportunity at the next level. The Rangers have a storied history and we as an organization look forward to working with them to create more history.”
Notable Cyclones alumni include goaltender Cédrick Desjardins and forwards Greg Stewart, David Desharnais, and Byron Froese.
Desjardins played in 15 games with the Wolf Pack during the 2014-15 season, while Desharnais scored 28 points (6 g, 22 a) in 71 games with the Rangers during the 2017-18 campaign.
The Wolf Pack will host their 2023-24 home opener at the XL Center on Friday, October 20th. Time and opponent will be released at a later date, along with the full 2023-24 regular season schedule.
Full-season tickets, 20-game plans, 12-game plans, and flex plans for the 2023-24 season are on sale now! Visit hartfordwolfpack.com or call 860-722-9425 for more details!
ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
