Three Things to Watch at Minnesota Frost Training Camp

The Frost will begin their defense of back-to-back Walter Cup titles when players hit the ice for training camp on Nov. 10. Before camp begins, let’s deep dive into three big questions facing the back-to-back champs.

Who will be elevated into the top six?

Across the two seasons of PWHL hockey, the Minnesota Frost’s top line of Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, and Michela Cava was the second most common line combination in the entire league. Entering the 2025-2026 season, Michela Cava has moved on to Vancouver, along with rookie sensation Brooke McQuigge. Familiar names like Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, and Grace Zumwinkle are back to lead the offense, but there will be a couple of open spots on the top two lines that will need to be filled.

One candidate to see her playing time elevated is Britta Curl-Salemme. Curl-Salemme bounced around the lineup a bit last year, but she saw more playing time as the season went on, and she responded with strong offensive numbers. She scored 15 points in 28 games, including seven goals at 5 on 5. Beyond her on-ice production, the Frost protected Curl-Salemme in the expansion draft and also gave her a contract extension this offseason. Taken all together, the Frost have committed to Curl-Salemme being a cornerstone for this team moving forward.

The outlook for the other top-six wing spot is murkier. One option for the coaching staff is elevating someone from last year’s bottom six. Klára Hymlárová, Claire Butorac, or Katy Knoll could all be options if the coaching staff elects to go that route. All three didn’t produce a ton of offense last season, but a bump up in the lineup could create more offensive opportunities. An unlikely but intriguing idea could be to promote third-line center Dominique Petrie into a top-six wing spot. However, shifting Petrie to the wing feels unlikely because it would leave a gaping hole at third-line center, and it would hurt the Frost’s depth.

The far simpler, and more likely, option would be to plug in one of the talented young draft picks: Abby Hustler or Anna Segedi. Hustler could have the inside track to that final top-six spot based upon her natural fit at wing and her offensive production at St. Lawrence. Segedi played center at St. Lawrence, and the coaching staff may want to see if she can stick at center before moving her to a wing spot.

Where will the scoring depth come from?

Much like the Frost’s top six, their bottom six will also look a bit different this season. Denisa Křížová has moved on to Vancouver, and Liz Schepers is now in Boston. Plus, Britta Curl-Salemme’s likely push-up the lineup means that the Frost will need to replace both third-line wings and a fourth-line center.

Luckily for the Frost, Dominique Petrie returns to lock down the third line. Last season, Petrie was one of the Frost’s best offensive forwards at 5 on 5, notching 0.4 pts/games played, good for third best among Frost forwards behind only Kendall Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise. Petrie played a lot less than those two last year; she ended up 7th among forwards in average time on ice. Petrie’s production in a limited role last season should have Frost fans excited about what she can do in year two.

Competing to flank Petrie will be a mix of familiar names and fresh faces. 2025 third-round selection Anna Segedi could slide into a third-line wing role if the coaching staff is comfortable moving her off center. Claire Butorac could be another option. She has played limited minutes across the past two seasons, but she produced a .99 pts/60 in that time for the Frost. With consistent playing time alongside talented players like Segedi and Petrie, Butorac’s offensive numbers could improve.

On the fourth line, Katy Knoll and Klára Hymlárová’s playoff production might have the Frost coaching staff inclined to keep them together. Kaitlyn O'Donohoe will also battle for a role after playing nine games for the Frost last season. The loss of Liz Schepers will hurt, but unsigned fifth-round pick Vanessa Upson could slide right into the fourth-line center role. Upson boasted outstanding face-off numbers at Mercyhurst, which could ensure that she sticks at center instead of Knoll, who struggled in the face-off dot in limited opportunities for the Frost. Camp invites Madison Mashuga, Alyssa Machado, and Peyton Anderson will also battle for a roster spot.

How will they overhaul the defense core?

The depletion of the Frost’s defensive core this offseason has been well documented. With only five defenders under contract heading into camp, at least two of the unsigned defenders will make the team, and one currently unsigned defender will be in the Frost’s starting lineup come opening night. Rebuilding the defense core on the fly will be a challenging task, and the battle for playing time during training camp will be worth watching closely.

With so much uncertainty, the coaching staff may be looking to add another defender with professional experience. Camp invite Madison Bizal spent last season with SDE in the SDHL, but she played 24 games with PWHL Montreal during the 2024 season. Bizal averaged just under 11 minutes of ice time, but she played well in a smaller role. She had a 56.3% goals for percentage, which was second best among Montreal defenders. If the coaching staff prioritizes experience, Bizal could be a great bet to be the sixth defender on opening night.

Besides Bizal, the Frost will have two unsigned draft picks, Ava Rinker and Brooke Becker, and camp invite Cameron Sikich in training camp. If the coaching staff elects to lean on Bizal’s experience, Becker, Sikich, and Rinker will likely be competing for one roster spot. Both Becker and Rinker were drafted, which would theoretically give them a leg up over the undrafted Sikich. However, neither Rinker nor Becker has been signed coming into camp, indicating that the competition could be wide open. It will be worth keeping a close eye on playing time for the defenders as camp begins.