The Cincinnati Cyclones today announced the acquisition of Patrick Polino in a trade with the Rapid City Rush. The Cyclones acquired Polino in exchange for future considerations at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Polino, 29, makes his return to Cincinnati for a second stint with the organization after starting the 2024-25 season with the Adirondack Thunder. A former RPI Engineer, Polino has built an impressive resume in professional hockey. On August 29, 2024, his ECHL rights were traded to Adirondack in exchange for Tristan Ashbrook—another former RPI Engineer. This trade now brings the Cyclones full circle, as they gain both Ashbrook and Polino, who were originally swapped for each other earlier this season.
In 55 games this year, Polino has registered five goals and 19 assists across his time with Adirondack, Allen, and Rapid City. Cincinnati marks his fourth stop this season, but fans will remember him well from his impactful first stint with the Cyclones. During that time, Polino played three seasons, wearing the assistant captain’s “A” for two of them. Across 170 games, he tallied an impressive 54 goals and 82 assists. Polino was also instrumental in the Cyclones’ two playoff runs in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, contributing veteran leadership and a knack for clutch performances. Additionally, he has accumulated seven points in two postseason appearances with the team.
“We are excited to welcome Pat back to the Cyclones. We know what he can bring to this hockey team and we’re confident that he will contribute to our lineup during a critical stretch of the season like he has in the past” said Cincinnati Cyclones head coach Jason Payne.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that is looking to solidify itself as a competitor in the AFC for the 2025 season, and the franchise should be looking to make some moves around the trade deadline. The organization already brought in safety Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots, and he made an immediate impact in a win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Steelers could use some help on the offensive side of the ball as well, but more additions could be made to shore up the defense as well. There is some positional uncertainty at safety for the Steelers as well as a bunch of injuries. The position has changed a ton throughout the season, and the Steelers could certainly use some more depth in the area. Unfortunately, Minkah Fitzpatrick would only be an option if he were to be cut as Pittsburgh cannot trade for him within two years of trading him away. However, his former running mate, Damontae Kazee, is a potential option for the Steelers after he was released by the Cleveland Browns on Monday. Kazee is a veteran with a good amount of experience, and he could certainly sign with Pittsburgh if the front office wants him to return to the black and gold. However, there are other safety-needy teams throughout the league as well. The coaching staff in the Steel City understands and appreciates familiar voices on the roster, and Kazee could provide decent depth while also being familiar with the defense and everyone in the building. Juan Thornhill and Chuck Clark have been other contributors at safety for the Steelers in 2025, but there is a real chance that Kazee might be a better option than either of those players. Both Thornhill and Clark have seemed to be at the center of communication issues in the secondary, and whenever there is an obvious coverage bust, Clark seems to always be one of the players closest to it. Kazee signed with the Browns during the 2025 offseason, and he had only played in four games through the first nine weeks of the season. He had been on the field for just 11 defensive snaps, as he seemed to be more of a special teamer in Cleveland. Despite the reduced role in 2025, he could provide some value to Pittsburgh, even if he is just signed to the practice squad. The fan base in Pittsburgh might not have always loved Kazee, but he played a lot of football for the Steelers throughout the three seasons he spent with the team. At the very least, he provides depth for Pittsburgh at a position of need, and he wouldn't be expensive to sign. This is the type of signing the Steelers would make, and it completely makes sense to do so. Pittsburgh Steelers have found a successful safety combination Ahead of Pittsburgh's game on Sunday against the Colts, it was announced that cornerback Jalen Ramsey would be playing exclusively free safety. He had been playing some safety throughout the year depending on what the opposing offense was doing, but on Sunday, he did not leave the position. It was Ramsey and Dugger leading the way in the defensive backfield, and the duo had a pretty good day. It will be interesting to see if that is something the Steelers continue to use in the coming weeks, but it probably should be since it was so effective against the best offense in the NFL.
Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten quality quarterback play in 2025 with Aaron Rodgers, they still need to search for a future face of the franchise. Rodgers is almost 42 years old and close to retirement. Even if he does play another season, it will be good to have a first-round pick behind him to learn and develop in a way that even most coaches can't do. If Pittsburgh has to trade up to get a quality option, the front office has to stop delaying the inevitable and take a shot at a young gun. Just because Ke'Shawn Williams is an undrafted rookie for the Steelers, that doesn't mean that he can't help with a scouting report. After his final year in college, he worked with recent transfer Fernando Mendoza during offseason training, as well as Williams' Pro Day. He spoke with reporter Brian Batko about what he has seen in the Indiana Hoosiers' star. "It’s just his ability to do everything," Williams said. "He can make the throws, he’s very mobile, he has a lot of experience, very smart leader, a good person — all the intangible things you want out of a quarterback, somebody to come in and potentially lead your group...He’s got my vote, for sure." After transferring from the California Golden Bears to Indiana, Mendoza has lit the college world on fire. He currently leads the FBS in touchdown passes through eight games, and it's not like Indiana has had an easy schedule either. He has gone up against two Top 10 teams in the country and led the Hoosiers to victories in both contests, including a road upset against the Oregon Ducks. Indiana is now the #2 team in the country, only behind conference rival Ohio State Buckeyes. If Mendoza and the Hoosiers keep this up, the two teams will face off in the Big 10 conference championship game, where the winner will have the top seed in the College Football Playoffs and get a first-round bye, while the loser would have to play in the first round. This amazing 2025 performance has put the 22-year-old junior near the top of the quarterback rankings of the 2026 draft class. He is currently favored to win the Heisman Trophy as well. Depending on how he does in this last month of football and in the playoffs, he may even be out of the Steelers' reach, as he could easily be the first overall pick. Even if he falls outside the Top 5, it may be worth it for the Steelers to make a trade to get him. Steelers Are Likely Underwhelmed By Everyone Else It goes without saying that outside of Mendoza, most draft-eligible quarterbacks have completely bottomed out in the 2025 season. It's so bad that the Steelers may consider skipping out on drafting a quarterback in 2026 if they can't land Mendoza. If that is the case, the price to trade up in the 2026 NFL draft may rise up as well. Of course, the Steelers overall have not played great football, and there is a realistic chance that they end up drafting higher than they usually do. Obviously, nobody in that organization has any desire to tank, but a sub-par season for Pittsburgh standards could put them in a better position to go and get their guy. What is there to lose at this point? Despite Williams' scouting report on Mendoza, it's not set in stone that General Manager Omar Khan will do everything he can to try and draft the Indiana star. However, that inside information will still be helpful in the long run, especially Khan believes his testimony lines up with the tape at all. The undrafted receiver is not the deciding vote, but he could give a little nudge to help sway the Steelers towards selecting him.
Happy 37th birthday to three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and 2012 PFWA Most Improved Player award winner, Dez Bryant! The Oklahoma State product played in nine NFL seasons, eight of which were with the Dallas Cowboys. In his time with Big D he caught 531 passes for 7,506 yards and a franchise-record 73 touchdowns. He also served as an important bridge for Dallas in the Tony Romo-Dak Prescott transition, catching 50 passes for 796 yards and eight scores in Prescott’s 2016 rookie campaign. His time in Dallas ended with an achilles injury in 2017, but he did catch on for six games with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 before hanging up his cleats. Which brings us to today’s quiz. How many of the players with the most receiving touchdowns for each NFL franchise can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
As the World Series comes to a conclusion, the MLB offseason officially commences. That means three of the Arizona Diamondbacks pending free agents have officially entered free agency, One such free agent is left-hander Jalen Beeks. Beeks, alongside former ace Zac Gallen and veteran backup catcher James McCann, were listed among the 137 players hitting free agency, in a statement released by the MLB Players' Association. For more on Gallen's free agency, check out the below article: Related Content: Zac Gallen Takes First Free Agency Step The D-backs are among the teams with the lower free agent departure totals. With the five-day "quiet period" following the World Series, teams will have the option to re-sign their own players without competition. Unlike Gallen, Beeks is an arm that seems like a much more reasonable re-sign for Arizona. Arizona Diamondbacks' Jalen Beeks Enters Free Agency The 32-year-old veteran left-hander was a last-second pickup for GM Mike Hazen and the D-backs, joining the team just prior to Opening Day. He quickly became one of the few arms trusted to take on a workhorse load out of the bullpen, as Arizona's relief corps suffered injury after injury. And he certainly did take a large share of the innings. Beeks tossed 57.1 innings, and likely would have been used even more if not for an IL stint (followed by careful usage) in the latter third of the regular season. Still, the lefty posted a solid 3.77 ERA, inflated somewhat by a few blowup outings. He's also had generally solid, if not eye-popping peripheral metrics, even during some of his uglier ERA seasons. Finding quality left-handed relief pitching is no easy feat. Considering Beeks made only $1.25 million with Arizona in 2025, even a slight increase in that amount would likely be money well spent. Related Content: Diamondbacks Have to Address This Bullpen Need Again The Diamondbacks already face an uphill battle with regard to bolstering their bullpen and starting rotation. An in-house option with a history of stability would be a beneficial return, even if regression is a distinct possibility. Regardless, the Diamondbacks absolutely must make an attempt at acquiring a closer (as well as another legitimate leverage arm) if they want to weather the storm before Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk return. Beeks does not necessarily fill that type of role, but he does have leverage experience, and would likely perform well in a middle-relief role without the pressure of having to serve as the setup man or closer in 2026. Related Content: Should the Diamondbacks Bring Back this Veteran Reliever? Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News
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