BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) -Baton Rouge’s new professional hockey team revealed its new name and logo on Wednesday, July 22. The team will be called the Baton Rouge Kingfish.
BR Kingfish(WAFB)
The Kingfish was the name of the city’s hockey team back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
According to officials, the name pays homage to the iconic freshwater sportfish native to Louisiana waterways, the legendary legacy of Louisiana political lore, and a deliberate callback to the beloved Baton Rouge Kingfish franchise.
“We are both excited and honored to carry the Kingfish name. We understand what it means to this community and recognize the history and legacy we are committed to upholding,” said Matt Pace, owner of Baton Rouge Kingfish. “We promise to deliver an exceptional experience for our fans and a hard-working, winning team on the floor every single night.”
Officials announced that the Baton Rouge Kingfish will host the Monroe Moccasins at the Raising Cane’s River Center for their inaugural home opener, set for Oct. 16. The full schedule will be released on July 24.
Baton Rouge Kingfish(WAFB)
Season tickets are on sale now.
The Baton Rouge Hockey Club has already announced Jimmy Soper as the franchise’s inaugural head coach as the organization continues preparing for its first season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League.
Current 2025-26 Baton Rouge Zydeco season ticket holders will receive a limited-time priority window to keep their seats before any remaining season tickets become available to the general public, according to the team.
The branding reveal comes about seven weeks after the FPHL franchise announced a new ownership group would take over operations of the Baton Rouge franchise following the folding of the Baton Rouge Zydeco.
The new ownership group is led by sports attorney Matt Pace and includes Andreas Johansson, owner of the three-time defending FPHL champion Binghamton Black Bears, Ted Goldthorpe and Baton Rouge businessman Jacob Hector.
The ownership group signed a three-year lease with the Raising Cane’s River Center and has pledged to keep professional hockey in Baton Rouge after the Zydeco ceased operations following the 2025-26 season.
Johansson previously said success will depend on more than wins and losses.
“Winning on the ice does matter… but it’s just as much as are you communicating well with your fans, are your fans feeling like they’re a part of this bigger family,” Johansson said.
The Zydeco brought professional hockey back to Baton Rouge in 2023 after the departure of the Baton Rouge Kingfish nearly two decades earlier.
The new franchise is scheduled to begin play in the FPHL this fall.
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