2025-26 PWHL Season Preview: Minnesota Frost
After suffering some significant departures, including much of their defensive core, can the Minnesota Frost match their stellar performance from last season?
What Happened Last Season?
Last season, the Minnesota Frost claimed a second Walter Cup Title by defeating the Ottawa Charge in the Walter Cup Finals. Though it ended in a title, the Frost had a rocky regular season and did not clinch the fourth and final playoff spot until the final day of the season. Much like the 2024 season, the Frost entered the playoffs as the fourth seed but elevated their game on route to a title.
The Frost won with offense last season. In the regular season, they led the league with 83 goals scored. Even more impressive, they led the league in scoring, despite a very middling power play that finished third in the league at 17.9%. Instead, the Frost dominated offensively at 5-on-5. Their 59 goals at 5-on-5 were ten more than any other team.
Unfortunately for the Frost, they struggled defensively. The Frost allowed 74 goals against, and they gave up 49 of those goals at 5-on-5, which was the second most in the league. Their penalty kill wasn’t great either; they ranked last in the league at 78.4%. Some of these defensive struggles were the product of shaky goaltending. The Frost’s tandem of Maddie Rooney and Nicole Hensley was last in the league last season in save percentage at .902 for the regular season.
Location/Coaches/Front Office Changes
The front office remains intact, and head coach Ken Klee is back for a third season in charge. The Frost had one significant change with the coaching staff this offseason. After two seasons with the Frost, assistant coach Mira Jalosuo has moved on to become the head coach for the St. Cloud State University women's team. To replace Jalosuo, the Frost have brought in recent Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Brianna Decker as an assistant coach.
Also, after 25 years, the Xcel Energy Center is no longer. The "X" is now called Grand Casino Arena, and it’s going to take some getting used to for this lifelong Minnesotan.
Reid Lemker
Current Roster
On Wednesday, the Frost completed a trade with the Vancouver Goldeneyes that will see the return of Denisa Křížová to Minnesota in exchange for Anna Segedi. Křížová has played up and down the lineup for the Frost in the past two seasons, and her return immediately bolsters their depth scoring, a desperate need for the Frost. Anna Segedi was the Frost’s third-round pick in the 2025 draft out of St. Lawrence University, but she will leave for Vancouver without playing a regular-season game in Minnesota. Segedi is a center, a position of strength for the Frost. This may have been a factor in moving Segedi, as it appears that the Frost have seemingly utilized their depth down the middle to address an area of need.
Forwards: Katy Knoll, Claire Butorac, Kelly Pannek, Grace Zumwinkle, Dominique Petrie, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, Denisa Křížová, Klára Hymlárová, Abby Hustler, Britta Curl-Salemme, Kaitlyn O'Donohoe, Peyton Anderson, Vanessa Upson
Defenders: Lee Stecklein, Kendall Cooper, Sidney Morin, Madison Bizal, Mae Batherson, Natalie Buchbinder, Brooke Becker, Ava Rinker
Goaltenders: Marlène Boissonnault, Nicole Hensley, Maddie Rooney
Reid Lemker
Key Departures
The Frost defense core took quite the hit this offseason. Claire Thompson, Sophie Jaques, and Melissa Channell-Watkins have all moved on to Vancouver, and Maggie Flaherty is now in Montréal.
Thompson and Jaques are massive losses for the Frost. Both were finalists for defender of the year, and the two of them accounted for 63.5% of the Frost’s points by defenders. Melissa Channell-Watkins is another big loss; she averaged over 17 minutes of ice time last season and finished with a 57.6 goals-for percentage, third highest among Frost defenders. Maggie Flaherty played a bit more sparingly as a bottom-pairing defender, but she brought a physical element that the Frost will miss on the back end.
If the losses on defense weren’t enough, the Frost also lost several key contributors up front. Michela Cava is now in Vancouver alongside Brooke McQuigge. Cava finished third among Frost forwards in points with 19 in 30 games, while McQuigge was fourth with 15 in 29 games. Also, fourth-line center Liz Schepers is now in Boston.
Key Additions
Minnesota native Sidney Morin returns home to steady the Frost's back line after all of the off-season departures. Morin will bring a wealth of experience to Minnesota as they attempt to remake this blueline on the fly. First-round pick Kendall Cooper will also be leaned on to replace some of the lost scoring. Cooper graduated from Quinnipiac with 116 points, which is the fourth most in program history and the most ever scored by a defender.
Sidney Morin, our scoring MACHINE tonight! 👏 pic.twitter.com/ToAeZPo1Mm
— Boston Fleet (@PWHL_Boston) January 11, 2025
Up front, the Frost will look to a rookie, St. Lawrence University graduate Abby Hustler, to make up for some of the losses. The return of Denisa Křížová will also provide some much-needed experience and scoring ability to the lineup.
Three Bold Predictions
- Kendall Cooper wins rookie of the year. I wouldn’t characterize Cooper as the favorite to win rookie of the year by any means, but I don’t think she should be overlooked. The Frost coaching staff have a history of helping young offensive blue liners thrive, and I think Cooper could be the next in line and poised for a dynamite rookie season. Her skating ability will help her create offense and Cooper should get plenty of opportunities to play big minutes and put up points on the power play.
- Grace Zumwinkle will lead the Frost in scoring. I wrote about this earlier in the off-season, but I think if Grace Zumwinkle is healthy, she will lead the Frost in scoring. Zuminkle had the second-highest shots per 60 minutes of ice time in the league in her rookie season, but that number dropped considerably in year two. Unsurprisingly, the drop in shots let to a drop in scoring. Zumwinkle scored 19 points in 24 games in year one, and only 10 points in 22 games in year two. With the substantial losses the Frost have sustained at forward in the offseason, Zumwinkle will get plenty of ice time at 5-on-5 and a ton of power-play time. If she is healthy, expect her back at her best.
- The Frost will miss the Playoffs in 2025-2026. In my mind, I think the losses on the back end are too significant to make up for in one season. Not only did the Frost get a ton of scoring from their defense core last season, but they were also the best team in the league at limiting shots against, allowing only 24.2 shots against per game. I don’t expect a repeat performance this season, and if they are not able to limit shots at the same rate as last season, there could be some questions about a goaltending duo that was last in the league in save percentage during the regular season last year.
With all that said, they have been doubted before. If they can get some strong goaltending and the blueline sorted out, a playoff berth is not out of the question. If they find their way into the playoffs, don’t be surprised if they make another run.
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