Last week, the Cincinnati Cyclones announced that Louie Caporusso will be their new assistant coach, officially moving the long-time fan favorite from the ice to behind the bench. After a 13-year pro career spanning 580 games across six leagues, he steps into the role full-time following a hybrid coaching/player position last season.
Related: Louie Caporusso Moves Behind the Bench in Cincinnati
Earlier this week, I caught up with Caporusso to discuss his transition, the team’s direction, and what fans can expect heading into the new season.
Matthew Buhrmann: “What made you want to continue coaching after last season and what are you most excited for this season?”
Coach Caporusso: “I just love the game, period. It’s part of me now and I always want to be a part of it. Pro hockey has been my life for as long as I can remember recently and I just didn’t want to leave the game, and I feel like coaching was the best opportunity for me to continue on in the game, and I always felt like I was somewhat of a coach to the guys when I was playing with them and it seemed like it would be a natural progression for me moving forward.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “You only got into two games last season but were behind the bench for plenty. What did you learn about coaching?”
Coach Caporusso: “Right, I think last season for me was an audit more than anything. It was a chance for me to see what it feels like behind the bench, a chance for me to see what the game looks like from behind the bench, and it did look different compared to when you’re playing, so that was important for me to get that time under my belt. I think it’s gonna help me moving into this season in terms of the sticker shock when you start, right? So, I think that was beneficial for me. I don’t think I would necessarily, you know, a coach last year per se, but I was, I was more so there for the players as someone that they can relate to, and being behind the bench helps that.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “How does your playing history across multiple pro leagues help you as a coach?”
Coach Caporusso: “I think anytime you’re experiencing different takes on the game, different philosophies. I know I played with extremely defensive coaches in Europe, and I played with extremely offensive coaches, and you can kind of take something from all of them. I can remember I was already taking notes on coaches as I got a little older as a pro and I started analyzing and trying to figure out how they got the most out of their players and what strategies I think would suit something I would like to implement as a coach and what strategies I wouldn’t like from a player’s perspective, and the key for me moving forward is to always maintain that player’s perspective so that as a coaching staff, we’re always relatable to them.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “What’s the difference playing in North America versus Europe?”
Coach Caporusso: “I believe in Europe there’s a bigger emphasis on passing and skating, and I think a bigger emphasis on strategy. I think with any different culture, there’s different ways of doing things. So, I think anybody, even outside of hockey, should spend some of their time just exploring other cultures and how they go about doing stuff and applying that to their own lives. So, you know, it works for hockey as well.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “What will your role with the team consist of this season?”
Coach Caporusso: “We haven’t really got into too many specifics, Riley and I. I think that’s something that we’ll probably nail down as we get closer to the season.
I mean, if I could just speak to Riley, he’s a big reason why I also decided to pursue this position. I feel just with the short time that we’ve gotten to know each other, he’s someone who’s extremely detail-oriented and young enough that he knows what it’s like to be a player still, but yet he’s incredibly intelligent. It’s gonna be a positive year for everyone moving forward with him at the helm, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “Looking at last season’s inconsistency, how do you see the team improving this season?”
Coach Caporusso: “I can’t predict the future, but one thing I can vouch for is that we’re gonna bring a consistent effort from the coaching staff and try to be as consistent with our players as possible to help mitigate some of those swings.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “What were the biggest struggles for the team last season?”
Coach Caporusso: “I think we sometimes go a little disoriented in our own zone. I thought we lacked a consistent offensive punch, and then the power play itself, I think, struggled mightily at the start of the season, kind of found its grounding a bit, but didn’t really ever get on a roll. So, I would say those were some big sticking points that caused us to have to walk through a season.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “How will you work to make the power play more consistent this season?”
Coach Caporusso: “Just quickly, some of the foundational things that I believe as a coach now, and I believed as a player really, was not trying to overcomplicate things. I think sometimes players can fall into the trap of trying to make the perfect play and sometimes can just play mind games with you and you think you have to do so much with it, but the reality is a lot simpler than that, and that could be something like just getting more traffic, just one example. But also I think, you know, it’s tough in the ECHL, but to try to keep the same unit together, I think does really good, it’s really good because it allows players to get used to their tendencies, which can translate to just knowing where guys are gonna be and that tends to help with the power play a lot.
The key is to maintain consistency in the players and units, so they get used to each other and the system. It’s also about building habits that are repeatable under pressure and ensuring the team understands what’s expected from them on each shift.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “What’s your opinion on having an enforcer role in the ECHL?”
Coach Caporusso: “My take on it is it’s kind of one of those things where if a couple of teams do put an enforcer on their team, then you kind of have to answer the bell. If other people have one, if you’re in a division where no one has really an enforcer, then maybe it’s not as necessary. It’s always nice knowing you have a guy like we have, Justin Portillo, who was not only extremely tough, but he’s just an incredible person. And you’ll see that a lot with enforcers, sometimes their value is not necessarily everything to do with on the ice, the value that they bring off the ice. They tend to be guys that gel the team together. So, you know, we love having him, and any enforcer that I’ve really played with has always been an awesome guy, so I think they bring more than just what you see on the ice.”
Matthew Buhrmann: “Since you’ve been in Cincinnati, what’s your favorite thing about living here?”
Coach Caporusso: “That’s a great question. I think the family friendliness of the city. I just feel like we’ve really lucked out when it comes to raising kids in a really good place. There’s a lot to do in Cincinnati, and the fact that it feels underrated is its best quality really because you don’t get a lot of that traffic that you would probably get in a typical big popular city, but at the same time you get all of the perks of a great city with restaurants and venues and all that stuff, so that’s probably what I love the most.”
Caporusso will now get his chance in another way and surely can make an impact with this team under new Head Coach Riley Weselowski as the Cyclones look to reach the postseason for the first time since 2023.
Stay tuned for the second part of our Q&A series, when I sit down with Head Coach Riley Weselowski
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