The Cincinnati Cyclones Foundation, in conjunction with Queen City Sportsplex, have appointed Lee Lansdowne to Head Coach of the USPHL's Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones. Lansdowne will make his coaching debut behind the bench on Saturday, September 16 when the Jr. Cyclones begin their season in Toledo. His home debut comes Friday, September 29 when Cincinnati hosts Battle Creek at Queen City Sportsplex.
At the helm, Lansdowne will foster a winning culture for the Jr. Cyclones as a team and also for the players as individuals looking to further their development in hockey.
"When you've played for the Cyclones, you become a Cyclone for life," said Team Vice President and General Manager, Kristin Ropp. "Lee garnered respect within our ECHL team's locker room during his three years with the Cyclones, so to bring someone back of his caliber, both personally and professionally, is a massive asset to our team. I look forward to seeing Lee build a winning product on and off the ice that sees these players climb the next rung of their development ladder."
Lansdowne, 40, spent three seasons with the ECHL-Cyclones in a supporting role, serving as a hybrid between an emergency goaltender and a video coach from 2008-11. A native of Swindon, Great Britain, Lansdowne previously played parts of five seasons in the now defunct English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL). He spent most of his EPIHL tenure in his hometown of Swindon, but also had stints in Milton Keynes and Solihull. Earlier in life, Lansdowne found himself playing junior hockey in Cincinnati for the Cobras, where he was then coached by current Cyclones Assistant Coach, Chad MacLeod. While playing for Cincinnati in the Central States Hockey League, Lansdowne faced future NHL stars including Paul Stastny and Brandon Bollig.
Following his playing career, Lansdowne began coaching in 2011 with the Junior A program in Cincinnati, where he served in a coaching role for four seasons. Lansdowne has spent the last several seasons as a private coach, working primarily with goaltenders.
"I have a lot of excitement, but also a lot of pride in trying to build something in this city to grow upon all the great things the Cyclones have done for Cincinnati," said Lansdowne. "We're looking to give kids something to strive for; a level to reach or a goal to play at, not just at the USPHL level, but also beyond to the collegiate and professional level. The biggest thing for me is player development, and as coach I want to put our players in a spot that they can soak in all the information available at this level so that nothing takes them by surprise when they take the next step, whether that be video, systems, dryland exercise, or anything else. We as a staff want to do our job so that players shouldn't have to be here longer than two years. In two years' time, we should have players developed and ready to take the next step, be it tier two junior hockey (NAHL), or making an NCAA commitment."
