The Cincinnati Cyclones have announced a new affiliation agreement with the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers, the team announced in a press release Wednesday morning.
The Cyclones were the ECHL affiliate for the Buffalo Sabres for the last six seasons. The Rangers were affiliated with the ECHL’s Jacksonville IceMen since 2021.
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“We’re elated and honored to be entering an affiliation with the New York Rangers,” Cyclones Team President Ray Harris said in a statement. “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.”
The Rangers were an original six NHL franchise in 1926 and have won four Stanley Cups and nearly 3,000 regular-season games. New York has made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 14 of the last 18 seasons, with four trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and one Stanley Cup Finals appearance (2014) in that span.
“The New York Rangers are excited to have reached an affiliate agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones,” Rangers President and General Managers Chris Drury said in a statement. “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.”
Since the 2006-07 season, Cincinnati have seen 28 of its players go on to play in the NHL and dozens more get called up to the American Hockey League (AHL).
Cincinnati’s new AHL affiliate will be the Hartford Wolf Pack, who have been affiliated with the Rangers for the past 10 seasons.
“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,” Cyclones head coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jason Payne said in the press release. “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.”
The Cyclones, two-time Kelly Cup Champions (2008, 2010), have qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs in 11 of the last 15 seasons. Cincinnati has captured two Brabham Cups and five division championships over that span.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Cyclones enter affiliation with NHL’s New York Rangers
