Brianna Decker was one of several legendary players and builders to join the Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 induction class. While it was another step in her career, Decker's hockey life continues to take her to new opportunities, which this season will include coaching in the PWHL.
Brianna Decker is one of the greatest women's hockey players to ever compete in the sport. That fact was solidified this weekend as Decker was enshrined as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2025 induction class.
Decker, 34, could still be playing the game, but the long time member of USA's national team is also ready to begin the next stage of her career shifting from a role at Shattuck St. Mary's the last three seasons to take on an assistant coach role with the PWHL's Minnesota Frost.
On a weekend where she was looking back at her storied career, it was hard for Decker not to look forward to the bright future facing professional women's hockey.
"It's an incredible league," Decker said of the PWHL. "When I was playing pro it was kind of bits and pieces of what we wanted, and now the PHWL seems to be what it's at. I think it has the right people at the head of the system that's going to make this thing really take off. The last two seasons have been great and now I feel grateful to be part of the Minnesota Frost this year and coaching with them. It's awesome."
Joining the back-to-back Walter Cup champions, Decker, who won every league title possible in her own career, knows the Minnesota Frost will have a target on their bacs. But with the league expanding this season to include the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes, Decker believes it's a fresh slate for all teams, including Minnesota.
"The thing with expansion this year, obviously the team has changed quite a bit, and so it's a new year, new team, the girls know that, the coaching staff and myself know that, so we're starting from square one again to make sure we have a good foundation that takes us off through the rest of the season," she said.
As a player, Decker won gold with USA at the U-18 World Championships before spending four seasons playing for the University of Wisconsin where she won an NCAA national championship, and earned the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top women's hockey player in the NCAA. From there she won a Clarkson Cup and was named CWHL Rookie of the Year as a member of the Boston Blades, followed by an Isobel Cup and NWHL MVP award the following season with the Boston Pride. She would later earn a second NWHL MVP honor and win another Clarkson Cup before joining the PWHPA in their quest to build a single pro league for women.
Internationally, Decker won gold at both the Olympic Games and World Championships being named a World Championship All-Star three times, and MVP at the 2017 tournament. Her playing career came to a screeching halt early in the 2022 Olympics when she broke her leg, and injury that ended not only her tournament, but her playing career.
Looking back, while Decker earned many team and individual accolades, a few moments stood out to her above the rest including the 2018 Olympics and 2011 World Championships.
"Winning an Olympic gold medal was probably one of the greatest moments of my hockey career," said Decker,"But I'll never forget my first World Championship in Switzerland in 2011 just being a younger player getting to play with some of the players I looked up to growing up."
She joined the 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame cohort alongside former Canadian national team star Jennifer Botterill, as well as Montreal Victoire general manager Daniele Sauvageau, who coached Canada to their first ever Olympic gold medal in 2002, and is the first woman ever to be inducted as a builder to the Hall of Fame.
Now, the Dousman, Wisconsin product is moving to a new stage joining the PWHL not as a player, but as a coach. She's excited for the new opportunities being presented to players, including those still to come for many alumni of Shattuck St. Mary's and USA's U-18 national team that she coached in recent seasons.
"It will be interesting, hopefully (the PWHL) can expand a little bit more and have women's hockey in more cities, but I'm really excited about the girls that are coming out of the NCAA the next few years," Decker said.
The 2025-26 season will be new for Decker on many fronts. The recently minted Hockey Hall of Famer and new Minnesota Frost assistant coach expects more firsts to come. One of those however, wasn't necessarily on her bingo card at this stage in her life, which will be watching the Olympic Games for the first time in more than 15 years as a fan, instead of competing as a player.
"I'm excited to watch," she said. "I never thought Id' say that because I'm usually in the mix, but I'm really excited to be able to follow that and hoping that our Frost players make their national teams and be able to see them compete out there."
The Rivalry between Canada and USA is one that is impossible for any player, including Decker to overlook. Thinking back she pinpointed Marie-Philip Poulin and Jayna Hefford as the two most difficult players from Canada she faced. She's hoping in 2026 that USA can exact revenge for the silver medal that stands as the finale to her own career in 2022.
"That Rivalry is one that has been around for a very long time and I'm excited to see them compete in Italy. I think the team is really excited to get over there and hopefully get the gold medal back on the American side."