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Minnesota Frost

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Not to be confused with Frost, Minnesota.
Minnesota Frost
CitySaint Paul, Minnesota
LeaguePWHL
FoundedAugust 29, 2023 (2023-08-29)
Home arenaXcel Energy Center
ColorsPurple, lavender and white
     
Owner(s)Mark Walter Group
General managerMelissa Caruso
Head coachKen Klee
CaptainKendall Coyne Schofield
Websiteminnesota.thepwhl.com
Championships
Walter Cups1 (2023–24)
Current season

The Minnesota Frost are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home games at Xcel Energy Center. In 2024, the Frost won the PWHL's inaugural Walter Cup championship.

History

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Founding

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On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Minnesota.[1][2] The team immediately filled the void left by the loss of the Minnesota Whitecaps, a long-running club that had most recently played in the defunct Premier Hockey Federation.[3] On September 1, Natalie Darwitz, former captain of the United States national team and three-time Olympic medalist, was named the PWHL Minnesota's general manager.[4][5] On September 15, former Bethel University men's and women's head coach Charlie Burggraf was announced as the first head coach of the team.[6] However, it was announced on December 27 that Burggraf was stepping down, and would be replaced by former U.S. national team coach Ken Klee.[7]

The team's first three player signings were U.S. national team players Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein.[8] Minnesota was awarded the right to select first overall in the inaugural PWHL draft through a lottery; with the pick, the team selected Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Taylor Heise.[9]

In November, it was revealed that PWHL Minnesota's colors would be purple, black, and white, and that the team would play at Xcel Energy Center, home of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild, in Saint Paul.[10][11]

Minnesota celebrating a victory over PWHL Montreal in 2024.

Inaugural season

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Ahead of the team's inaugural game in January 2024, it was announced that Kendall Coyne Schofield would serve as team captain, with Kelly Pannek and Lee Stecklein serving as alternate captains.[12] The team played its first game on January 3, facing PWHL Boston in Lowell, Massachusetts. Taylor Heise scored the first goal in franchise history, and Minnesota went on to win by a score of 3–2.[13] Minnesota made its home debut three days later, on January 6, defeating Montreal by a score of 3–0 in front of 13,316 fans, which set a new record for attendance at a professional women's hockey game.[14] Grace Zumwinkle recorded a hat-trick in the game, and Maddie Rooney recorded the shutout.[15]

On May 5, 2024, the team secured the fourth seed in the inaugural PWHL playoffs.[16] PWHL Minnesota beat first-ranked PWHL Toronto in a five-game semifinal series, completing a reverse sweep after losing the first two games and advancing to the finals against PWHL Boston.[17] In the finals, PWHL Minnesota won a close-fought series. The championship came down to a decisive Game 5; Minnesota overcame a double-overtime loss in Game 4 at home to win 3–0 on the road at Boston's Tsongas Center.[18][19] This made Minnesota the PWHL's inaugural Walter Cup champions.[19] Heise led the playoffs in scoring and won the inaugural Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award.[20] After the season, Zumwinkle was named the PWHL's rookie of the year.[21]

Natalie Darwitz parted ways with the team in June 2024, with Ken Klee taking over as acting general manager.[22] In September, the team hired Melissa Caruso as its new general manager.[23]

Team identity

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Inaugural season logo for PWHL Minnesota.

Minnesota, along with the other PWHL charter franchises, operated without unique branding for the league's inaugural season—the team was known as PWHL Minnesota and wore a league-wide jersey template that featured the state's name diagonally on the front.[24] The team did have its own colour scheme, featuring purple and black. In October 2023, the league registered a trademark for the name Minnesota Superior, seemingly in reference to Lake Superior.[25] However, in September 2024, when the PWHL unveiled franchise nicknames, Minnesota was given the name Frost, which the league stated was in honor of Minnesota's "deep-rooted love for the ice".[26] A report from The Hockey News stated that other names in contention for Minnesota included the Marmots and the Monarchs.[27] In addition to the Frost name, the team's logo was unveiled—the initial "F" featuring icicles.[26] The team retained its color scheme.

Players and personnel

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Current roster

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As of November 29, 2024[28][29]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
9 Canada Mae Batherson D L 24 2024 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
17 United States Brooke Bryant F R 24 2023 Linden, California
22 United States Natalie Buchbinder D R 25 2023 Fairport, New York
7 United States Claire Butorac F R 25 2023 Andover, Minnesota
86 Canada Michela Cava F R 30 2023 Thunder Bay, Ontario
23 Canada Mellissa Channell-Watkins D L 30 2023 Oakville, Ontario
26 United States Kendall Coyne Schofield (C) F L 32 2023 Palos Heights, Illinois
77 United States Britta Curl-Salemme F L 24 2024 Bismarck, North Dakota
19 United States Maggie Flaherty D L 24 2023 Lakeville, Minnesota
27 United States Taylor Heise F R 24 2023 Lake City, Minnesota
29 United States Nicole Hensley G L 30 2023 Littleton, Colorado
71 Czech Republic Klára Hymlárová F L 25 2024 Opava, Czech Republic
16 Canada Sophie Jaques D R 24 2024 Toronto, Ontario
6 United States Katy Knoll F R 23 2024 Amherst, New York
41 Czech Republic Denisa Křížová F L 30 2023 Horni Cerekev, Czechia
3 Canada Brooke McQuigge F L 24 2024 Bowmanville, Ontario
12 United States Kelly Pannek (A) F R 28 2023 Plymouth, Minnesota
35 United States Maddie Rooney G L 27 2023 Andover, Minnesota
14 United States Dominique Petrie F R 23 2024 Hermosa Beach, California
21 United States Liz Schepers F L 25 2023 Mound, Minnesota
2 United States Lee Stecklein (A) D L 30 2023 Roseville, Minnesota
42 Canada Claire Thompson D L 26 2024 Toronto, Ontario
13 United States Grace Zumwinkle F R 25 2023 Excelsior, Minnesota

Reserves

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As of November 29, 2024[28][29]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
8 United States Charlotte Akervik D R 23 2024 Eau Claire, Wisconsin
32 United States Lucy Morgan G R 23 2024 Mandan, North Dakota
11 United States Kaitlyn O'Donohoe F R 23 2024 Atlanta, Georgia

Team captains

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General managers

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Head coaches

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First-round draft picks

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Main article: List of Minnesota Frost draft picks

References

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  1. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (August 29, 2023). "Six inaugural franchises revealed for new PWHL". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Dachman, Jason (January 30, 2024). "Inside the Whirlwind Launch of the Professional Women's Hockey League's Broadcast Operations". sportsvideo.org. Sports Video Group. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  3. ^ Clayton, Ren (July 13, 2023). "Women's professional hockey in Minnesota in limbo". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  4. ^ "PWHL names six general managers as teams begin roster construction". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. September 1, 2023. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Burgess, Melissa (September 2, 2023). "PWHL Introduces General Managers, Announces Draft Order". The Victory Press. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "Ryan, MacLeod headline PWHL coaches". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. September 15, 2023. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  7. ^ "Charlie Burggraf steps down as head coach of PWHL Minnesota days before season opener". CBC Sports. December 27, 2023. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "Coyne Schofield, Pannek and Stecklein sign with Minnesota's PWHL franchise". Sportsnet. September 6, 2023. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Minnesota Picks Taylor Heise 1st in the Inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League Draft". US News. Associated Press. September 18, 2023. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  10. ^ Kennedy, Ian (November 23, 2023). "PWHL Releases Jersey Designs". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  11. ^ Kennedy, Ian (November 28, 2023). "PWHL Officially Announces Venues". The Hockey News. Brantford, Ontario: Routan Media. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "PWHL Minnesota appoints Kendall Coyne as team captain". Sportsnet. January 3, 2024. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Blount, Rachel (January 3, 2024). "Minnesota wins 3-2 at Boston in its first PWHL game, starting new era in women's hockey". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "PWHL game in Minnesota sets attendance record with 13,316 fans". The Guardian. January 7, 2024. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  15. ^ Nelson, John (January 7, 2024). "PWHL Minnesota smashes attendance world record and wins in shutout". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  16. ^ Blount, Rachel (May 6, 2024). "PWHL Minnesota backs into final playoff spot". startribune.com. Minneapolis: Star Tribune. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  17. ^ "Heise scores 2 goals as Minnesota beats Toronto 4-1 to advance to PWHL finals". MPR News. St. Paul: Minnesota Public Radio. May 17, 2024. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  18. ^ "Boston beats Minnesota in double OT to force winner-take-all Game 5 in Walter Cup final". cbc.ca. May 26, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Cox, Peter (May 30, 2024). "PWHL Minnesota fans cheer on the team in Boston and at home as they win inaugural Walter Cup". MPR News. St. Paul: Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  20. ^ "PWHL Minnesota's Heise wins Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award". The Sports Network. May 29, 2024. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "Former Gophers star Grace Zumwinkle named PWHL rookie of the year". Star Tribune. June 11, 2024. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  22. ^ Tribune, Rachel Blount Star. "Natalie Darwitz out as PWHL Minnesota's GM after championship run, clash with head coach". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Zgoda, Jerry (September 4, 2024). "Melissa Caruso, PWHL Minnesota's new GM, pays homage to her predecessor, Natalie Darwitz". Minnesota Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  24. ^ Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (January 2, 2024). "PWHL sorting out missing pieces like team names and logos as it goes along". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024. However there are some missing pieces, such as names and logos for the six teams. "I don't, I don't," PWHL advisory board member Stan Kasten said Monday on whether he has a timeline for those key elements to be included.
  25. ^ Salvian, Hailey (October 26, 2023). "Potential names for PWHL's original 6 franchises revealed". The Athletic. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Minnesota Frost: PWHL unveils names, logos for league champion and other teams". MPR News. St. Paul, Minn. September 9, 2024. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  27. ^ Kennedy, Ian (September 9, 2024). "These Were The Final Four Names In Contention For Each Of The PWHL's Six Teams". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Minnesota Frost Announce 2024–25 Roster". ThePWHL.com. Professional Women's Hockey League. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  29. ^ a b Sportsnet Staff (November 29, 2024). "PWHL teams unveil opening day rosters ahead of regular season opener". SportsNet.ca. Rogers Media. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
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