Fresh off a playoff berth, the Zydeco is turning up the heat for its third season

It may feel like an odd match to bring an ice sport back to south Louisiana. But it’s safe to say hockey fever has hit Baton Rouge.

The Zydeco burst onto the scene two years ago, making the Raising Cane’s River Center its home and playing into the nostalgia of the old Kingfish days in the Capital City.

Attendance has been strong since the team’s arrival and its play on the ice has been even better, improving in nearly every category from its inaugural year.

Let’s look at some of the standout statistics from the Zydeco and what the future looks like as the team prepares for the puck to drop on its third season in Baton Rouge.

Puck pilot

The Baton Rouge Zydeco are only two seasons old, but the club’s progress is already on a positive trajectory.

New head coach Chad Bailey hopes to keep that trend going.

The Zydeco nearly doubled its win total from Season 1 to Season 2, and Bailey hopes he can leverage his high-profile experience into even more success on the ice.

The 31-year-old coach spent the past nine seasons leading teams around the country. He started his career as an assistant coach for three seasons with Arizona State. He later moved into the North American Tier III Hockey League (NA3HL) as head coach for the Sheridan Hawks, and most recently, held concurrent roles in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) as an assistant coach for the Lone Star Brahmas and head coach for the NA3HL Texas Brahmas for two seasons.

Bailey led the Brahmas to two straight divisional semi-finals appearances, winning the Robertson Cup in 2024 and losing to the Bismarck Bobcats in the final last year.

“I’m honored to be named head coach of Baton Rouge Zydeco … and my family and I are excited to make Baton Rouge our home,” Bailey said in a press release this summer. “I look forward to building on the team’s success and working toward bringing a championship back to the fans and the city.”

Know your Zydeco

As with any minor league sports team, rosters can fluctuate. And the Baton Rouge Zydeco have been busy this offseason re-signing some of last year’s talent and adding new names to the group.

Here are a few new additions to be on the lookout for this season.

Hunter Hall, forward

Hall scored 25 points in 37 games last season for the Blue Ridge Bobcats and Motor City Rockers. He enters his third season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

Ilnur Madiarov, forward
The young Russian talent spent last season with the Danville Dashers and Mississippi Sea Wolves in the FPHL. He tallied 8 points in 15 games.

Jonatan Wik, defenseman
The 6-foot-2-inch Norwegian heads to Baton Rouge after playing in the Norway2 League and spending last season with the Hudson Valley Venom, Dashers Hockey and the Danbury Hat Tricks in the FPHL.

Juho Nupponen, goaltender
Nupponen, who hails from Finland, stands at 6 feet 2 inches and will bring his size and stability to the Zydeco after several seasons playing in his home country.

Olle Vennstrom, right wing
At 33 years old, the experienced Vennstrom previously played in the FPHL for three seasons, but spent last year with Malmbergets AIF in Sweden. He accounted for 10 points in just 5 games.

Cole Ouellette, defenseman
This will be Ouellette’s first season in the FPHL after four years at the University of Southern Maine. He tallied 42 points in 91 games in his collegiate career.

This article was originally published in the October 2025 issue of 225 magazine.