Brianna Decker Announced as Newest Assistant Coach for the Minnesota Frost

The Minnesota Frost’s coaching staff has been rounded out to close out August, as the team announced the hiring of USA Hockey legend Brianna Decker as its newest assistant coach on Monday. 

Decker, 34, has most recently served as the associate head coach at the Shattuck-St. Mary’s preparatory school in Minnesota — where she herself played between 2005 and 2008 — after starting there as a coach in 2022. A mainstay on the American senior national team during her playing days, Decker has also been heavily involved in the USA’s developmental program for over half a decade. 

Six years ago, Decker began the Brianna Decker Endowment Fund for Girls Hockey in partnership with USA Hockey. The program is geared to help increase the enrollment and participation of young girls in the hockey world, by lowering costs, encouraging development, and by helping fund marketing initiatives. The group specifically provides grants to players and programs in the 10U and 8U age demographics. 

“Brianna’s passion and commitment to the growth of women's hockey belongs in the PWHL,” said Melissa Caruso, the Frost’s general manager. “We’re thrilled to welcome Brianna to our coaching staff and trust her knowledge of the game, elite playing background, and proven ability to lead will be an incredible asset.” 

The 2012 Patty Kazmaier award winner played four seasons with the University of Wisconsin of the NCAA, where she stands as their third-highest scorer all time (244 points). Upon graduating, Decker moved to Boston to play with both the Boston Blades (CWHL) — where she won the Clarkson Cup in 2014-15 — and the Boston Pride (NWHL/PHF). A second Clarkson Cup followed in 2018-19 with the Calgary Inferno, before Decker moved to the PWHPA in 2019-20. 

Originally from Dousman, Wisconsin, Decker won three Olympic medals (one gold, two silver), and eight World Championship medals (six gold, two silver) over an 11-year span. During her time on the senior national team, Decker was one of their most prolific scorers, finishing with 170 points (81 goals, 89 assists) across 147 games. A knee injury suffered against Finland held Decker out of the 2022 Olympic tournament, and she officially announced her retirement from playing in March of the following year. 

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with the Minnesota Frost and to be surrounded by professional athletes who are committed to growing their game every single day,” Decker said. 

Decker joins to fill the spot left by Mira Jalosuo, who departed earlier this summer for the head coach position at St. Cloud State. The back-to-back Walter Cup Champions have been led by Ken Klee as their head coach for the last two seasons, and by Chris “Critter” Johnson as an assistant for the last year. 

“We are very excited to welcome Brianna to our group,” Klee said. “She has a remarkable record of success, leadership and vision- both on and off the ice - that will make her a huge asset for our team.”

A two-time USA Hockey player of the year, Decker is set to be inaugurated into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 10 of this year, after being announced in the 2025 class on June 24. Decker brings a wealth of knowledge to an already successful program in Minnesota, and will help continue to build the franchise as it looks to make it a three-peat in the PWHL this season.