Four Takeaways From The Frost's First Four Games

Through the first four games of the season, there have been plenty of positives for the Minnesota Frost, and also plenty of things they will need to improve on after the international break. Let's dig into the first four games and figure out what is working and what is not.

The top line is off to a great start.

The Frost’s new-look top line has been tremendous: Kelly Pannek, Britta Curl-Salemme, and Kendall Coyne Schofield are all off to hot starts. As a group, they have been one of the best lines in the league through four games. All three are tied for the league lead with five points, and Kendall Coyne Schofield leads the league with four goals.

It's no surprise to see Coyne Schofield at the top of the PWHL scoring charts, but Kelly Pannek's hot start is a bit of a surprise. Last year, Pannek finished the regular season with three goals and 11 points across 30 games. This season, she already has two goals and five points in four games. Britta Curl-Salemme is also on pace for a great season: though she hasn't scored a goal yet, she has five assists.

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As a line, their style isn’t very complicated, but it’s effective. All three play a simple game predicated on attacking with speed and driving the net when they have the puck, and pressuring defenders into turnovers when they don’t have the puck. Importantly, all three have the skill to turn those turnovers into goals as they did against Ottawa, where a hard forecheck created a turnover that Coyne Schofield put home.

As a group, they have scored five even-strength goals, and they have yet to allow a goal against. Though they were held off the scoreboard for the first time on Sunday afternoon against Boston, they created plenty of chances.

Goaltending Remains a Question Mark

Goaltending was a big question mark for the Frost heading into the season, and through four games, it remains a concern.

Nicole Hensley has been almost perfect in her first two starts for the Frost. Hensley shut out Seattle in game two and made 35 saves in the 5-1 win over Ottawa in game three. She has a .985 save percentage in her two starts this season. Coming into this season, her best regular-season save percentage was .919 in 14 starts in 2024. Hensley won't sustain a .985 save percentage all season, but just how good she can be will have a big impact on the Frost's success going forward.

On the other hand, Maddie Rooney has struggled. Rooney started game one against Toronto and game four against Boston. She allowed two goals on 17 shots against Toronto, though there was little she could do on either goal. On Sunday, Rooney allowed four goals in her second start against Boston. She enters the break with a .889 save percentage.

Combined, Frost goaltenders have a .942 save percentage, which is much better than last year's league-worst .902 mark. However, with Hensley's numbers likely to come down a bit at some point, The Frost will need more consistent play from Rooney to be successful. Rooney posted a .907 save percentage in 19 starts last season, and a .915 in 10 starts in 2024; her track record indicates her play will improve.

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The Frost are Starting to Get Some Depth Scoring

The top line has been great for the Frost so far, and after a slow start, the third and fourth lines are also showing signs of life. Of the eight goals the Frost have scored so far this season at even strength, two have come from the bottom six, and both goals have come in the past two games. Klára Hymlárová scored the lone goal against Boston, and Dominique Petrie buried a goal against Ottawa. 

It was a bit of a slow start for the third line, but it's worth noting that Petrie, Katy Knoll, and Denisa Křížová didn’t get much of a chance to play together before the regular season started because of Křížová's late return to the squad. Petrie’s goal against Ottawa highlighted many of this group's strengths: a strong forecheck forced a turnover, Křížová and Petrie used their skill to keep possession, and Petrie banged home a loose rebound after a point shot.

The fourth line has also been quite good. The group had looked solid in their first three games, and Sunday’s game against Boston was their best of the season. Klára Hymlárová scored the only goal of the game, off a great feed from Claire Butorac. They also held Boston off the scoresheet at even strength, which means the fourth line hasn’t been scored on yet this season. Hymlárová, Butorac, and Peyton Anderson have chipped in a little offense and have not allowed a goal against; there isn't much more you could ask for from a fourth line.

It's been important for the Frost to get depth contributions because the Grace Zumwinkle, Taylor Heise, and Abby Hustler line hasn't produced at a high level yet. Zumwinkle has two goals, one at even strength, and second-round pick Abby Hustler has one assist in her first four PWHL games. Heise has been held off the scoresheet in the first four games of the season.

Defense Core Deals With Growing Pains

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for the new-look Frost defense group. The good news: they have only allowed four even-strength goals in their first four games. Also, the young defenders have been solid. Kendall Cooper is averaging over 22 minutes a night and hasn’t been scored on at even strength. Brooke Becker has also stepped in and played well for the Frost, averaging over 14 minutes a night without being scored on.

The bad news: the entire defense core is struggling to create offense. Through four games, Frost defenders have only one point at even strength. They rank at the bottom of the league in blueliner offense.

No one expected this group to replicate the dynamic offensive numbers from last season, but one point as a group through four games isn’t enough. The good news is the group is middle of the pack in shots by defenders, and the Frost will hope it's just a matter of time before all of those shots start turning into points.

Honorable Mention: Special Teams Struggles

Last season, the Frost won despite their special teams units. During the regular season, their power play was third-best in the league at 17.9%. They finished dead last in the league on the penalty kill at 78.4%. The penalty kill was better in the playoffs, and heading into this season, the hope was that the penalty kill would reflect last year's playoff performance rather than the regular season's.

Through four games, however, the Frost’s penalty kill hasn’t been good enough. They have allowed three goals on ten penalty kills, a 70% penalty kill percentage, which is last in the league. Of course, it's a small sample size, and the penalty kill numbers were much better before the Boston Fleet went 2-for-2 on the power play on Sunday afternoon. However, part of the issue likely stems back to goaltending; Hensley and Rooney have a .769 save percentage on the penalty kill so far this season.

The power play hasn’t been much better. The Frost have one goal in 11 power-play tries, a measly 9.09 power-play percentage. The lone goal came from Grace Zumwinkle in the 3-0 win over Seattle. The Frost went 0-3 on the power play in their loss to the Boston Fleet, but they created plenty of chances and fired a number of shots on goal. With the talent they have up front, I think it's safe to assume the power play will improve.

The Frost will get another chance at the Boston Fleet when the PWHL returns from the international break. The Frost and Fleet will square off again, this time at Grand Casino Arena on Friday, December 19th.