2022 Toledo Walleye vs Cincinnati Cyclones

Cyclones' Caporusso Picks Up Where He Left Off

Cyclones' Caporusso Picks Up Where He Left Off

Caporusso’s last stay in North America came in 2013 in the ECHL, where he wrapped up a three-season run as one of the league’s more dominant players.

Feb 18, 2022 by Mike Ashmore
Cyclones' Caporusso Picks Up Where He Left Off

It would be hard to imagine many other minor league hockey players having a more detailed Wikipedia page than Louie Caporusso.

It’s a fitting look at a decorated career that’s taken him all over the globe, including a much-anticipated return to North America with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones this season.

“I went through a little phase there where I wasn’t sure if I still wanted to play hockey,” Caporusso told FloHockey via Zoom.

“This was right after I finished up in Europe. I think ultimately, I still realized that I still had a lot of game left in me, I felt like maybe I was feeling older than I really was. I saw some other guys around my age that were still doing it, still having fun playing the game, and I always loved playing in North America.”

With Cincinnati being the best fit since his brother lives in the area, Caporusso reached out to then-Cyclones coach Matt Thomas about playing for the team and quickly joined the franchise. 

Not only was it a return to North America for Caporusso—it was a comeback. After stays in Germany and Sweden, the 32-year-old Toronto native last played in Italy with Asiago during the 2019-20 season before stepping away last year due in large part due to ‌COVID restrictions.

“I definitely missed it a lot,” he said. “I missed a lot of components of the game, whether it was just being around the guys, the feeling of just competing on the ice and getting that exercise from being on the ice every day being a hockey player is something you can’t mimic in a gym…it’s a great profession, but it has its ups and downs. There were things I didn’t miss about the game, the long bus rides or getting home late, the bumps and bruises and the toll it takes on the body, which can really add up. But that year off, it opened my eyes as to how lucky I’ve been to be able to play the game for as long as I have. Now I appreciate it on a whole different level.”

Caporusso’s last stay in North America came in the ECHL, where he wrapped up a three-season run as one of the league’s more dominant players, first with the Elmira Jackals in 2011-12 and 2012-13, and then with the Reading Royals in 2013-14.

The league has changed since then, but for the better.

“There’s stretches here where I feel like it’s become a little bit more professional in a total respect for the word,” he said. “I don’t feel like players here feel like they’re out of the game in terms of maybe trying to make the NHL or move up, it’s become more of a developmental league as opposed to when I was there, where I felt like maybe there was more veterans…The league itself has gotten better in skill level, and on the coaching front, it seems like there’s a lot more video and more of an emphasis on making players better here.”

Caporusso is still one of the league’s best players, picking right up where he left off eight seasons ago—he’s Cincinnati’s leading scorer with 15 goals and 27 assists in his first 44 games. He’s been a big part of the Cyclones being in the thick of the playoff race in the Central Division.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t play at all last year.

“I feel like I haven’t lost my game,” he said. “I feel like my body feels good. In the off-season, I felt good with skating; I was skating with some pretty high-end players over the summer, and I felt good with them…I can’t say I’m surprised, but at the same time, I’m very happy with how the season has gone statistically so far.” 

Caporusso says he decided last February that he was going to try to come back and play, which gave him plenty of time to start the arduous process of getting back into hockey shape. He says it started with a task as simple as downloading the Nike app and beginning with short, 15-minute workouts as he slowly ramped back up.

It’s paid dividends, as he’s helped lead the team into prime position to make a run at the Kelly Cup. He also remains in great physical shape when it matters the most as the team’s ever-fluctuating lineup has slowly started to stabilize.

“There’s been a ton of turnover on our team, and we’ve had plenty of new players—there’s been plenty of days where I went into the locker room, and I’d meet three or four new guys,” Caporusso said.

“The players we’re bringing in seem to be really, really good guys. And if you’re bringing in good people, I think you can make things happen regardless of how long you’ve been together. That’s been key with how many different guys we’ve had in the lineup.”