RIVER DRAGONS DEAL CROOP TO SEA WOLVES

COLUMBUS, GA - The Columbus River Dragons announced today the team has traded forward Jay Croop to the Mississippi Sea Wolves.

“Recent conversations with Jay about the future ultimately led to some disagreements, however we wanted to support him and have accommodated his desire to continue playing while he also takes the next steps along his career path,” said Ignite Sports COO Jeff Croop. “Jay has been one of the cornerstones of our franchise from day one, even scoring the first goal in our history. Without Jay, there simply would be no Columbus River Dragons.”

Croop was an original River Dragons player, coming to the organization in its inaugural season. In five seasons with Columbus, Croop appeared in 165 games with the team, scoring 69 goals and adding 70 assists for 139 points. The Glen Allen, VA native won FPHL championships in 2019 with the Carolina Thunderbirds and again in 2021 with the River Dragons.

“I would like to thank Jay for everything he’s done for the River Dragons organization,” said head coach Jerome Bechard. “While it is clear that we have philosophical differences, I wish him well in his new opportunity.”

This summer, Croop also represented Team USA (alongside River Dragons teammate Alex Storjohann) at the Australian International Ice Hockey Cup this summer, defeating Team Canada (and River Dragons teammate Alex Jmaeff) in the weeklong series down under.

The River Dragons return to play tonight against the Baton Rouge Zydeco at 8:05 pm ET. All River Dragons road games are available via the team’s YouTube channel @ColumbusRiverDragons.