Photo Courtesy of the New York Islanders

The Cincinnati Cyclones have made their first signing for the 2025-26 season.

The team announced that forward Justin Gill is now under contract for the upcoming campaign. His signing marks the first of the off-season for the Cyclones as he joins his second ECHL franchise.

The 22-year-old Gill hails from St-Joseph-du-Lac, Quebec and joins the Cyclones following a brief stint with the Worcester Railers in 2024-25.

In 23 games with the Railers, Gill recorded 22 points (eight goals and 14 assists) in his first full professional season.

Prior to his time in Worcester, Gill played in the American Hockey League with the Bridgeport Islanders.

“Having Justin on board early in the off-season is a great start to our summer and should definitely get the fans excited,” said Cyclones Head Coach Riley Weselowski on the team’s first signee. “He instantly provides our lineup as one of the top-scoring threats in the ECHL and at just 22 years old, he is still very much an NHL prospect. A 200-foot player with a high compete level and a will to win, Justin is one of those players who shows up when games matter the most.”

The Quebec native was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders (145th overall) after an impressive season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL.

That season, Gill recorded 44 goals and 49 assists (93 points) in 68 games played.

The following season, as a member of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Gill set a career-high in assists (58) and points (98) en route to a First Team QMJHL All-Star and the best plus/minus in the entire league (+57).

“It was important to him to be joining a team with a great fan base and a focus on development,” Weselowski noted. “Having him choose to sign with us in Cincinnati says a lot about our great fans and organization as a whole.”

In five seasons in the QMJHL, Gill played in 285 regular season games, nearly accumulating a point-per-game (0.95) with 270 career points (115 goals, 155 assists).

In the post-season, Gill had 44 points in 45 games across four seasons.