September 9, 2025 • 6 mins
After a long and successful playing career, Louie Caporusso is joining Riley Weselowski’s coaching staff with the Cincinnati Cyclones. Louie joined us on ESPN1530.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
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Instagram too: @MoEgger
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Louis Caparusso has been named the organization's most recent hire
as assistant coach. A guy who played with the Cyclones
and scored fifty six goals with Cincinnati, had one hundred
and eleven assists across four seasons in one hundred and
seventy one regular season games. A fan favorite as a player,
has joined Riley Weslowski staff with the Clones and kind
(00:23):
enough to give us a few minutes. Louis, congratulations on
the job, Good afternoon, Thank you for joining us. How
are you.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
I'm doing really well. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
So you're making the transition from player to coach, what
is it like?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
It's exciting. I think my body is definitely happy. It's
been a long time coming, you know, enough injuries kind
of forced my hands here to have to take a
transition into coaching, which I've always looked forward to doing,
to be honest, for some time.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
So that was my question, Like, this is on your
radar the entire time kind of just there's the physical
part of it, but but mentally, what is it like
making that transition knowing that this was something that kind
of had on your radar all along?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Yeah, it's it's different. I spent a little bit of
time behind the bench last year just to I guess
bought at the situation and see what it's like to
watch the game from the bench and not be playing,
And it's definitely a different experience. So I'm appreciative of
the fact that I got those few games to see
what it's like to be behind the bench. And I
(01:34):
know that it's going to be a transition not being
as physically active, so I got to remind myself to
get in the gym every now and then, but mentally,
it is going to be a change for me, and
I hope that I can go through it as gracefully
as possible.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I think in the in the workplace, we all know
what it's like when your co worker gets promoted and
becomes your boss. Is that dynamic and play here with
some of the.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Guys, uh, I don't think so. I think we we
only have about I believe four or five returning players
from last season, so I don't think that will play
up too much of a part in this season coming
coming up. Justin Vive is our captain, and I grew
(02:19):
up playing with Justin since we are kids, so it's
gonna be it's gonna be funny being his coach, but
I think our relationship is strong enough that no matter what,
we'll get past it.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
What do you what do you like or what do
you anticipate you'll like about working for Riley? Was LUSI.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
I mean, for the the little bit of time that
we've spent together this summer, I'm I'm incredibly impressed. I
feel like I've really really gotten lucky to be able
to coach with someone of his intelligence of the game,
his his detail oriented approach to to do everything that
(03:00):
whole program in general. I'm learning so much just in
the short time has been around him. I think we
really really struggled when when we hired him, and I'm
looking forward to to helping him out and in giving
him the assistance he needs to win.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
You're trying to win games at this level. You're also
still in player development mode, and you know, at the
end of the day you serve at the mercy of
the parent club. So it's there's like three different there's
like three different responsibilities kind of rolled into one there.
What what do you anticipate that being like.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
That's a that's a very a very good question. It's
it's difficult at times because you're trying to win games
and at the same time try and develop the players,
and you're at times, it's true, you are at the
mercy of your affiliate. So this this position, you know,
the East Coast Hockula, the e PHL is in a
in a tough position. It's not an easy place to
(03:53):
coach in because of all of the moving parts. But
I guess in the long run it makes you better
for it personally. And you got to be dynamic. You
got to be able to think on your toes and
you got to uh, you know, be mouldible with with
the situation that presents itself as a coach.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Season gets underway here in I got to guess, about
five weeks, walk me through what a what a hockey
training camp is.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Like, m Yeah, it's it's tough, it's it's a it's
a long process. You know, even though it's about ten
to twelve days, it feels long when you're just excited
for the season to begin. But a typical day would
consist of maybe you know, one and a half two
hours on the ice. Uh maybe we'll usually have an
(04:40):
ice scrape in between, So we'll split that up into
two sessions. There's a good workout involved. The players usually
get together and eat together. We'll usually have a meal
before and after and and then they'll get treatment for
what they need work on. And Uh, it's it pretty
much is that, rinse and repeat, and we try to
not down with too many systems, but at the same
(05:02):
time put a system in place so that when they
show up for game one they have some sort of
structure to cling to out there.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Uh, you very quickly kind of developed yourself as a
fan favorite here and you had you had obviously been
a professional hockey player for for quite a while. Is
it is it extra cool doing this and not having
to learn a new city, learn a new organization, and
have more than just a basic background familiarity with with
what the Cyclones are all about.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yeah, it's awesome to be still here with the Cincinnati
Cyclones and to have this be my first opportunity to
coach with with a team that I love and a
city that I've grown in love with as well as
my family and I we call this place home. And Uh,
to be able to and being so comfortable with the
fan base and all the love that they have shown
(05:52):
me over the years, I couldn't ask for a better
arrangement for my family.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
And I, uh, it's pretty cool. I know Cyclones fans
are very excited. Congratulations on the new opportunity, and here's
to a long and successful coaching career. We appreciate the time, Louis,
thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
You're very welcome. That's Louis Caparusso, named assistant coach of
the Cincinnati Cyclones after a terrific playing career which included
four seasons in Cincinnati with the Clones, where as I mentioned,
he became very much a fan favorite.
Louis Caparusso has been named the organization's most recent hire
as assistant coach. A guy who played with the Cyclones
and scored fifty six goals with Cincinnati, had one hundred
and eleven assists across four seasons in one hundred and
seventy one regular season games. A fan favorite as a player,
has joined Riley Weslowski staff with the Clones and kind
(00:23):
enough to give us a few minutes. Louis, congratulations on
the job, Good afternoon, Thank you for joining us. How
are you.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
I'm doing really well. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
So you're making the transition from player to coach, what
is it like?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
It's exciting. I think my body is definitely happy. It's
been a long time coming, you know, enough injuries kind
of forced my hands here to have to take a
transition into coaching, which I've always looked forward to doing,
to be honest, for some time.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
So that was my question, Like, this is on your
radar the entire time kind of just there's the physical
part of it, but but mentally, what is it like
making that transition knowing that this was something that kind
of had on your radar all along?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Yeah, it's it's different. I spent a little bit of
time behind the bench last year just to I guess
bought at the situation and see what it's like to
watch the game from the bench and not be playing,
And it's definitely a different experience. So I'm appreciative of
the fact that I got those few games to see
what it's like to be behind the bench. And I
(01:34):
know that it's going to be a transition not being
as physically active, so I got to remind myself to
get in the gym every now and then, but mentally,
it is going to be a change for me, and
I hope that I can go through it as gracefully
as possible.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I think in the in the workplace, we all know
what it's like when your co worker gets promoted and
becomes your boss. Is that dynamic and play here with
some of the.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Guys, uh, I don't think so. I think we we
only have about I believe four or five returning players
from last season, so I don't think that will play
up too much of a part in this season coming
coming up. Justin Vive is our captain, and I grew
(02:19):
up playing with Justin since we are kids, so it's
gonna be it's gonna be funny being his coach, but
I think our relationship is strong enough that no matter what,
we'll get past it.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
What do you what do you like or what do
you anticipate you'll like about working for Riley? Was LUSI.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
I mean, for the the little bit of time that
we've spent together this summer, I'm I'm incredibly impressed. I
feel like I've really really gotten lucky to be able
to coach with someone of his intelligence of the game,
his his detail oriented approach to to do everything that
(03:00):
whole program in general. I'm learning so much just in
the short time has been around him. I think we
really really struggled when when we hired him, and I'm
looking forward to to helping him out and in giving
him the assistance he needs to win.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
You're trying to win games at this level. You're also
still in player development mode, and you know, at the
end of the day you serve at the mercy of
the parent club. So it's there's like three different there's
like three different responsibilities kind of rolled into one there.
What what do you anticipate that being like.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
That's a that's a very a very good question. It's
it's difficult at times because you're trying to win games
and at the same time try and develop the players,
and you're at times, it's true, you are at the
mercy of your affiliate. So this this position, you know,
the East Coast Hockula, the e PHL is in a
in a tough position. It's not an easy place to
(03:53):
coach in because of all of the moving parts. But
I guess in the long run it makes you better
for it personally. And you got to be dynamic. You
got to be able to think on your toes and
you got to uh, you know, be mouldible with with
the situation that presents itself as a coach.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Season gets underway here in I got to guess, about
five weeks, walk me through what a what a hockey
training camp is.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Like, m Yeah, it's it's tough, it's it's a it's
a long process. You know, even though it's about ten
to twelve days, it feels long when you're just excited
for the season to begin. But a typical day would
consist of maybe you know, one and a half two
hours on the ice. Uh maybe we'll usually have an
(04:40):
ice scrape in between, So we'll split that up into
two sessions. There's a good workout involved. The players usually
get together and eat together. We'll usually have a meal
before and after and and then they'll get treatment for
what they need work on. And Uh, it's it pretty
much is that, rinse and repeat, and we try to
not down with too many systems, but at the same
(05:02):
time put a system in place so that when they
show up for game one they have some sort of
structure to cling to out there.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Uh, you very quickly kind of developed yourself as a
fan favorite here and you had you had obviously been
a professional hockey player for for quite a while. Is
it is it extra cool doing this and not having
to learn a new city, learn a new organization, and
have more than just a basic background familiarity with with
what the Cyclones are all about.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yeah, it's awesome to be still here with the Cincinnati
Cyclones and to have this be my first opportunity to
coach with with a team that I love and a
city that I've grown in love with as well as
my family and I we call this place home. And Uh,
to be able to and being so comfortable with the
fan base and all the love that they have shown
(05:52):
me over the years, I couldn't ask for a better
arrangement for my family.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
And I, uh, it's pretty cool. I know Cyclones fans
are very excited. Congratulations on the new opportunity, and here's
to a long and successful coaching career. We appreciate the time, Louis,
thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
You're very welcome. That's Louis Caparusso, named assistant coach of
the Cincinnati Cyclones after a terrific playing career which included
four seasons in Cincinnati with the Clones, where as I mentioned,
he became very much a fan favorite.
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