Photo Courtesy of the Cincinnati Cyclones [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a8a2a1e1-9eb1-4b34-9777-7eaeb39dfb0e.jpeg] Photo Courtesy of the Cincinnati Cyclones The Cincinnati Cyclones [https://cycloneshockey.com/]announced Wednesday that Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jason Payne and Assistant Coach Chad MacLeod have been relieved of their duties, effective immediately. “We want to thank Jason and Chad for their tireless efforts and dedication to our organization,” said Cyclones Vice President & General Manager Kristin Ropp. “Jason has made a lasting impact not only on the pro level but on the youth hockey side since joining the team in 2018. After careful consideration, we’ve made the extremely difficult decision to go in a different direction with our Hockey Operations pairing behind the bench.” After getting off to a sluggish start, the Cyclones finished their 2024-25 season 29-32-11-0. Lincoln Griffin and Chas Sharpe led the team in goals with 25. Mathieu Gosselin led the club in assists with 41, while Griffin finished the season with 52 points, the most by a Cyclone in 2024-25. Payne spent four seasons as the Cyclones Head Coach amassing a 143-114-31 record. His best season at the helm was the 2022-2023 season that saw the Cyclones go 47-16-9 before being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. The search for the team’s next head coach will begin immediately. The Toronto native joined the Cyclones prior to the 2018 season as an Assistant Coach under then Head Coach Matt Thomas. Previously, Payne held several different roles in the OJHL serving as scout, skills coach, skating coach, head coach and general manager. Payne played professional hockey spanning 14 years with stints in the IHL, AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl/], UHL and ECHL [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/]. The search for the team’s next head coach will begin immediately.
