The New York Rangers and the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack will now have the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones as their new affiliate in an announcement made on Wednesday.
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 serve as the development club for the 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.”
Hartford Wolfpack.com
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.
Since the 2006-07 season, Cincinnati has seen 28 of its players go on to play in the NHL.
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.
They are two-time Kelly Cup Champions (2008, 2010), and have qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs in 11 of the last 15 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 logo.”
Shelby Dermer
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 entire 2023-24 regular season schedule.
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