Professional hockey is set to remain in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after Andreas Johansson, a Swedish entrepreneur with a proven record in minor‑league hockey, agreed to purchase the franchise and keep the sport alive in the capital city.
Johansson already owns the Binghamton Black Bears, a team that captured three consecutive Federal Prospects Hockey League titles, and previously controlled the Watertown Wolves, another three‑time champion that helped popularize the league in upstate New York.
Matt Pace, a veteran hockey executive, will run the day‑to‑day operations of the new club starting with the 2026‑27 season, ensuring a smooth transition from the dissolved Baton Rouge Zydeco.
The organization plans to retain much of the Zydeco’s playing roster, though each player will enter a draft that will shape the team’s composition before the first puck is dropped.
A Franchise Reborn
The Zydeco folded in April after three seasons, a casualty of ownership disputes and communication breakdowns that left Baton Rouge without top‑level hockey for nearly two decades.
The revived franchise will compete in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, a minor‑league circuit that sits one tier below the ECHL and continues the city’s rich hockey heritage that began with the Baton Rouge Kingfish in 1996.
Games are scheduled to be played at the Raising Cane’s River Center this fall, and officials promise to announce the team’s name, schedule and ticket information in the coming weeks.
Fans can look forward to a fresh start, with the new ownership group emphasizing community engagement, competitive play and a stable future for professional hockey in Baton Rouge.