There has been no other champion in PWHL history than the Minnesota Frost. They will have a slippery and uphill battle to three-peat as Walter Cup champions after an offseason of roster losses, and the expansion of the PWHL to Seattle and Vancouver.
Minneosta brought in six new players in their 2025 PWHL Draft class including Kendall Cooper, Abby Hustler, Anna Segedi, Ava Rinker, Vanessa Upson, and Brooke Becker. The team also added defender Sidney Morin in free agency.
On the outgoing side of their roster, Minnesota said goodbye to Claire Thompson, Sophie Jaques, Denisa Krizova, and Brooke McQuigge in expansion, and also watched Michela Cava, Emma Greco, Mellissa Channell-Watkins, Maggie Flaherty, and Liz Schepers leave via free agency. The team also parted ways with forward Brooke Bryant, who is heading to Seattle as a training camp invite, and Charlotte Akervik, who signed in Sweden.
Offseason report cards are based not only on how each position and item is predicted to perform next season, but also on the offseason changes to the role. Here's a look.
Offense: B+
Minnesota lost a lot. Much of their offense in 2024-25 was sparked by the duo of Thompson and Jaques from the back end. Watching Cava walk in free agency, and seeing the impact of depth lost with Schepers, Krizova, and McQuigge gone hurts as well. Luckily for the Frost, they retained a core that still includes Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Grace Zumwinkle, Kelly Pannek, and Britta Curl that can contribute offensively. Their draft picks of Hustler, Segedi, and Cooper should soften their losses, as will the signing of Morin, but this team will need to find offensive contributions from other areas next year. If there's something that can keep Frost fans hopeful on this front, it's the fact that players like Zumwinkle and Pannek underperformed offensively last season, and the team should be about to count on a rebound campaign from both. Minnesota returns with a formidable forward group, but this unit will need new contributors to step forward.
Defence: C+
There's no sugar-coating this, Minnesota took a serious hit on the blueline seeing Thompson, Jaques, Channell-Watkins, and Flaherty leave. Kendall Cooper and Sidney Morin are excellent substitutions, but Minnesota wasn't able to replace the impact they lost in this group. Lee Stecklein is going to be heavily leaned upon, and Cooper will get every chance to thrive in a top-four role. Stecklein should have been Minnesota's nominee as Defender of the Year, as she plays the role as well as anyone in the league, and she's a true defender who can contribute offensively, but never at a defensive cost. Any core with Stecklein involved has hope. Morin was a top-four blueliner in Boston and can be counted upon for a similar contribution this season. Natalie Buchbinder will round out their top four, with Mae Batherson anchoring a third pairing. It means Rinker and Becker will fight for the 6th and 7th spots on their blueline, and will need to be able to contribute immediately, unless Minnesota goes looking for a camp cut.
Goaltending: A
No critique here. Minnesota returns a tandem that has backstopped the team to repeat titles. Maddie Rooney got a serious raise and a long-term commitment from the team, showing she's Minnesota's goaltender now and into the future. On the other side, Nicole Hensley will look to bounce back from an off-year that cost her a roster spot on Team USA. Hensley has long been one of the game's top goalies, and the tandem traded starts as the Frost rode the hot hand. Few teams in the league have the luxury this group holds in net, and their third goalie, Marlene Boissonnault, brings an experienced presence and could step in if the situation calls.
Coaching: B
Do not underestimate the loss of Mira Jalosuo from this team. Jalosuo leaves a gaping hole in Minnesota's staff as her role transcended the on-bench assistant coaching duties most saw. Behind the scenes, Jalosuo was the brain that kept this staff moving in the right direction, and she was responsible for their scouting and drafting for the past two drafts. Jalosuo takes over as the new head coach for St. Cloud State's women's hockey team, leaving Ken Klee and Chris Johnson as remaining coaches. Rookie general manager Melissa Caruso is seemingly still figuring out the role with limited offseason moves made. The biggest impact she can make is to find a cerebral hockey mind to keep this ship pointing forward as an assistant coach.
Intangibles: A
Minnesota keeping their inaugural core of Coyne Schofield, Heise, Stecklein, Rooney, Hensley, and Pannek is key. No matter how you surround this group, they've won and proven they can find ways to be successful. There is concern over losing the players they did, particularly some of the depth veteran leadership like Schepers and Krizova, who were quiet contributors who impacted Minnesota's success well beyond the scoresheet...although Schepers did score both championship goals for Minnesota. A year removed from their offseason debacle and power plays made by players and staff that ousted Hall of Famer Natalie Darwitz, the Minnesota Frost enter 2025-26 on steadier footing, with their veteran core intact, and the knowledge of what it takes to win in this league. The Frost weathered that self-imposed storm, and have emerged on the other side. This team has a reputation as fierce competitors, and bring winning experience up and down their roster.