Maple Leafs affiliate with ECHL’s Cyclones

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to an affiliation with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones beginning next season.

The Cyclones replace the Newfoundland Growlers, who ceased operations before the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Growlers had been the Maple Leafs’ ECHL affiliate since 2018.

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The Cyclones have played in Cincinnati since 1990 and have won two Kelly Cups as ECHL champions.

The Ohio-based team spent the previous season as the ECHL affiliate for the New York Rangers.

In addition to Newfoundland, the Maple Leafs had previous ECHL affiliations teams in Orlando, Fla., Reading, Penn., Columbia, S.C., and Pensacola, Fla.

“We are excited to embark on this new partnership with the Cincinnati Cyclones,” Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said in a release. “This is a significant investment for our hockey club as we look to provide our players with the best resources available to support their growth and professional development.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2024.