ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones Re-Sign Head Coach Chuck Weber

May 23, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Cincinnati Cyclones News Release


CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL announced this afternoon they have re-signed Head Coach Chuck Weber for the 2007-08 season. Terms of the deal were not released.

Weber, 34, directed the Cyclones to a 37-29-4-2 record and a third-place finish in the North Division. The 37 wins, 80 standings points and .556 winning percentage were all the second-best in club history (1995-96 Louisville squad had 39 wins, 85 points and a .607 win percentage).

The Cyclones were the first ECHL team in two seasons to pull an upset in a Kelly Cup playoff round with their sweep of Toledo in the opening round of the postseason. Cincinnati came within a game of advancing to the American Conference finals in its first season back after two years of inactivity in the ECHL.

Chuck was the runner-up for ECHL Coach of the Year accolades behind Alaska's Davis Payne. 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.

"I'm very happy to have the opportunity to return to the Cyclones," Weber said. "I was fortunate to have the ability to build this team from scratch. We have a great foundation here. I am very excited about the upcoming season"

Among Weber's accomplishments was securing an affiliation agreement with the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, helping to develop the ECHL All-Star Game's winning goaltender Cedrick Desjardins and acquiring the league's top goal scorer Mike Wirll. The team turned in a 7-4-1 mark (.625 win percentage) during January-a month that saw the club ravaged by the call up of five players to the AHL and the loss of 31 man-games due to those recalls.

"We're happy to have Chuck Weber signed for next season," Cyclones president Ray Harris said. "He built a solid foundation for this team and proved he could assemble a club that could compete every night. We're looking forward to having another great season in 2007-08."

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.

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.

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