The Cincinnati Cyclones [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/cyclones-sign-2023-nhl-draft-pick]have announced that defenseman Elijah Vilio has re-signed with the club for the 2025-26 season. Coming off a career year, the Cyclones bring back one of their highest-producing defenseman from 2024-25. The 25-year-old Vilio will rejoin the Cyclones after being acquired via trade from the Tahoe Knight Monsters [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/season-in-review-knight-monsters-make-playoffs-bison-barely-miss-out]on Dec. 17, 2024. During the 2024-25 campaign, Vilio recorded a career-best 20 assists between his time in Tahoe and Cincinnati. Upon his arrival to the Cyclones, he recorded 16 of his 20 assists with the team and logged two goals. “Sticking in the ECHL can be difficult when you come from a smaller Canadian college but Elijah has been able to carve out a very respectable pro career in this league and he is coming off of his personal best season,” Cyclones Head Coach Riley Weselowski noted. “First and foremost he is a hard worker. When he joined the team last year, he added stability to the Cyclones defensive core and was a big part of the team's mid-season turnaround. “Elijah is an elite skater and we believe that he has the ability to take another big step this season.” Originally from Abbotsford, British Columbia, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound left-shot defenseman will embark on his fifth professional season in 2025-26. Before coming to Cincinnati, Vilio had made prior stops with the Atlanta Gladiators [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/forward-ryley-appelt-signs-with-gladiators], Rapid City Rush [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/community/latest-news/rush-make-trade-with-greensboro-gargoyles], Norfolk Admirals [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/community/latest-news/admirals-add-isley-to-2025-26-roster], Savannah Ghost Pirates [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/community/latest-news/transaction-ghost-pirates-sign-logan-drevitch], and Tahoe Knight Monsters. Vilio spent his college days playing with Trinity Western University between their stints in the BCIHL and USports from 2017-2021. Vilio made his professional debut with the Atlanta Gladiators in the 2021-22 season and had a career-high 23 points in 50 games played. Now in Cincinnati, he looks to bring speed, skill, and security to the blue line for the Cyclones.
