ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cincinnati Cyclones Head Coach Chuck Weber Inks Multi-Year Deal

Published on August 7, 2008 under ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Cincinnati Cyclones, 2008 Kelly Cup champions, announced that Chuck Weber has signed a multi-year contract with the club. Terms of the deal were not released. He has also been promoted to the position of Head Coach / Vice President of Hockey Operations, after having served the past two seasons as Head Coach / Director of Hockey Operations.

Weber, 35, directed the Cyclones to a 55-12-1-4 record (.799 winning percentage), the North Division regular season and playoff championships, the American Conference regular season and playoff championship, the Brabham Cup (ECHL regular season best record) and Kelly Cup championships last season. Chuck was also selected as the John Brophy Award winner, the ECHL's Coach of the Year Award-that is voted on by the other coaches in the league.

The Cyclones turned in a 16-6 record (.727) during the Kelly Cup playoffs and claimed the title with a thrilling six-game triumph over Las Vegas in the finals. That finals series marked the first time in league history that two Brophy Award winners had squared off for the championship (Glen Gulutzan won the award in 2005-06 in Las Vegas).

Cincinnati won an ECHL record 17 consecutive games between January 26 and March 1. The Cyclones were unbeaten in regulation time at home from November 28 through March 12, turning in a 20-0-2 mark over those 22 games. The club led the North Division for 120 days, clinching its first-ever division title on February 22 in a 5-2 win over Johnstown. Cincinnati took over the top spot in the North Division on December 19 and never trailed at any point in the season after that.

In two seasons as a professional head coach, both with the Cyclones, Weber has a 92-41-5-6 record (.677). That is the highest winning percentage of any active ECHL head coach and is the fourth best winning percentage in the league over the past two seasons (only Gwinnett, Las Vegas and Texas had higher).

Fourteen times in ECHL history a team has had a .675 or better winning percentage during a two year period. Weber is the only coach in league history to have done it in his first two campaigns as a professional head coach and the first since Dave Farrish collected a 98-36-10 mark (.715) with Louisiana in 2000-01 and 2001-02.

In his first season as a head coach, Chuck was the runner-up for ECHL Coach of the Year accolades behind Alaska's Davis Payne (2006-07). The first-year mentor of the Cyclones had an eleven-game unbeaten streak at home from November 18 through January 6, posting a 9-0-2 mark along the way. Cincinnati led the North Division for 90 days, from December 23 through March 23.

"This is a great opportunity for me to continue with the Cincinnati Cyclones," Weber said. "To know that the club has made this commitment to keep me here for a while speaks volumes for their desire to continue a level of success. The championship last season will put a big target on us and we welcome that challenge."

Among Weber's accomplishments in his two seasons was securing an affiliation agreement with the NHL's Montreal Canadiens (for both seasons) and adding the Nashville Predators (2007-08) to the fold. This past season, Chuck had 18 players recalled to the American Hockey League (AHL) and they combined to play 384 games there. He also had his first player appear in an NHL game (Greg Stewart with Montreal).

"We're happy to have Chuck Weber signed for the future," Cyclones President Ray Harris said. "He has built a solid foundation for this club and assembled a team that competes every night. Chuck shares our vision for the continued success of the Cincinnati Cyclones."

Weber was named as the Head Coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones in May 2006, bringing a track record of success with him. Chuck previously served as an assistant coach for seven seasons-being a part of one championship (Orlando 2001).

In 2005-06, Weber was with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), serving as assistant coach and Assistant Director of Hockey Operations. The club posted a 36-30-6 record and was eliminated from the Kelly Cup playoffs, by the eventual champions-the Alaska Aces.

Chuck's coaching career began during the 1999-2000 season with the Orlando Solar Bears of the International Hockey League (IHL). In just his second season (2000-01) as a coach, he was a part of the Turner Cup championship in the league's final season.

The following year (2001-02), Weber was the assistant with Trenton (ECHL) and the Titans posted the ECHL's second-best record (46-16-10). Trenton won the Northeast Division championship and advanced to the Kelly Cup quarterfinals. In 2002-03, Chuck stepped up to the next level as an assistant coach with Milwaukee of the American Hockey League (AHL). During his year with the Admirals, he helped direct the Admirals to a 32-27-14-7 record. In the Calder Cup playoffs that year, Milwaukee was eliminated in the second round by the eventual champion Houston Aeros.

For the 2003-04 season, Weber accepted a new challenge as the assistant coach and Assistant Director of Hockey Operations for Augusta (ECHL). During his two seasons with the Lynx, Chuck helped guide the club to a 60-68-16 record. Following the 2004-05 season, he had the opportunity to move out west and work with Utah.

Last season, Weber took the Cyclones from a two-year period of dormancy and immediately assembled a club that battled to within a win of the North Division title-staying in contention until the final day of the season. Cincinnati then upset Toledo in a three game sweep, before succumbing to Dayton in a seven game series for the North Division playoff title. The Cyclones went 37-29-4-2 (.556) in that first season.

Weber is a 1995 graduate of the University of Albany, where he majored in Communications and had minors in Athletic Training and Business. He was also a member of the Great Danes hockey program.

Tickets for the 2008-09 Cincinnati Cyclones season are now on sale. The Cyclones Sales Department can be reached at 513-421-PUCK, extension 144. The Cyclones open the season at Wheeling on Friday, October 17 and after three road games, host their home opener at U.S. Bank Arena against Dayton on Saturday, October 25 at 7:30pm. There will be a special Kelly Cup championship banner raising ceremony prior to that game.

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