BATON ROUGE - Mayor Sharon Weston Broome announced hockey is coming back to the capital city Tuesday. 

During a news conference at the Raising Cane's River Center on Tuesday morning, the mayor announced the city has been granted a minor league franchise with the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

The team, which has not yet been named, will play 28 games a year at the River Center on what is currently a three-year deal. The reveal comes after the venue hosted three exhibition games late last year to gauge the city's interest. 

"When we made the announcement last summer we told everyone that if people showed up we would bring a team here to Baton Rouge. You all showed up. We are ready to bring a team here and put on a family friendly, affordable product that you all can be proud of to call your team," owner Barry Soskin said.

The city plans to hold a contest to officially name the team and will announce details as soon as this week, a city-parish spokesperson said. The first games are expected to be played in October 2023 with more details on a schedule coming in the near future. 

Read the full announcement from the city here.