Minnesota Frost
Charter PWHL franchise and two-time Walter Cup champion.
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The Minnesota Frost are a professional ice hockey team from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and a charter member of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. They play home games at Grand Casino Arena. The Frost won the league’s first Walter Cup in 2024 and repeated as champions in 2025, then played in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. The team was announced as one of the PWHL’s original six franchises on August 29, 2023, filling the gap left by the Minnesota Whitecaps.
Natalie Darwitz, a former U.S. national team captain and three-time Olympic medalist, became general manager on September 1. Charlie Burggraf, previously head coach of Bethel University’s men’s and women’s teams, was named the first head coach on September 15, but stepped down on December 27. Former U.S. national team coach Ken Klee replaced him. The first three players signed were U.S. national team members Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein.
Minnesota won a lottery for the first overall pick in the inaugural PWHL draft and selected Golden Gophers forward Taylor Heise. In November, the team’s colors were revealed as purple, black, and white, and Grand Casino Arena—home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild—was announced as the home venue. For the inaugural season, Coyne Schofield was named captain, with Pannek and Stecklein as alternates.
Inaugural season
The first game was on January 3, 2024, against PWHL Boston in Lowell, Massachusetts; Heise scored the franchise’s first goal in a 3–2 win. The home debut on January 6 drew 13,316 fans—a professional women’s hockey attendance record—and resulted in a 3–0 shutout of PWHL Montreal, with Grace Zumwinkle scoring a hat trick and Maddie Rooney earning the shutout. On May 5, the team clinched the fourth playoff seed. They upset first-seeded Toronto in a five-game semifinal series, rallying from a 2–0 deficit, then beat Boston in a tight final that went to a decisive Game 5.
After losing Game 4 in double overtime at home, Minnesota won 3–0 on the road at Tsongas Center to claim the inaugural Walter Cup. Heise led playoff scoring and won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award; Zumwinkle was named rookie of the year. Natalie Darwitz parted ways with the team in June 2024, with Ken Klee taking over as acting general manager. During the first season, the team operated without a nickname, using the league-wide jersey template with “Minnesota”
Lore & Background
The Minnesota Frost were established on August 29, 2023, as one of the PWHL's first six franchises, filling the void left by the Minnesota Whitecaps. Natalie Darwitz, former U.S. national team captain, was named general manager on September 1, and Charlie Burggraf was announced as head coach on September 15.
Burggraf stepped down on December 27 and was replaced by Ken Klee. The team's first three signings were U.S. national team players Kendall Coyne Schofield, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein. Minnesota won a lottery for the first overall pick in the inaugural PWHL draft and selected Taylor Heise.
Reader's Guide
The Minnesota Frost are notable as one of the six charter franchises of the Professional Women's Hockey League, a league founded to provide a unified top-tier professional women's hockey structure in North America. The team immediately filled the gap left by the Minnesota Whitecaps, a long-running club that had played in the defunct Premier Hockey Federation. The Frost's inaugural season set attendance records and culminated in winning the first Walter Cup championship, establishing the franchise as an early powerhouse. Their 2025 championship and participation in the 2026 playoffs further solidified their competitive standing.
The team's leadership saw significant turnover in its early years, with Natalie Darwitz serving as the first general manager before being replaced by Melissa Caruso, and Charlie Burggraf as the first head coach before Ken Klee took over. The Frost's identity evolved from the generic 'PWHL Minnesota' to the branded 'Frost' in September 2024, with a logo and colors reflecting the state's ice hockey culture. Key players such as Taylor Heise, the first overall draft pick and playoff MVP, and Grace Zumwinkle, rookie of the year, have been central to the team's success.
Did You Know?
- Other names considered for the franchise included the Marmots and the Monarchs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Walter Cups have the Minnesota Frost won?
The Frost captured the league's inaugural Walter Cup in 2024 and then defended their title the following year in 2025, earning a back-to-back championship. They also appeared in the opening round of the 2026 postseason.
Who is the current head coach of the Minnesota Frost?
Ken Klee has served as head coach since the franchise's launch in 2023.
Who was the Minnesota Frost's first general manager?
Natalie Darwitz, a three-time Olympic medalist and former captain of the U.S. women's national team, held the general manager role from 2023 through 2024.
More in Women's Ice Hockey
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Minnesota Frost (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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