Minnesota Frost begin quest for third consecutive PWHL championship

The Frost have earned the right to hear a question never before asked of a modern-era Minnesota professional sports franchise:

Could you give someone else a chance to win a championship every once in a while?

Even the great Lynx teams of the 2000s never won back-to-back titles. The Frost won the PWHL championship in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, the team’s first two years in existence.

Friday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, the Frost will begin the 2025-2026 season, trying for a third title in three years. They’ll face Toronto at 6 p.m., following a celebration of their latest title.

Speaking to key members of the organization on Thursday, following their practice at Tria Rink in St. Paul, you got the feeling that they’re much more invested in ambition than nostalgia.

Star forward Taylor Heise, who played for the Gophers and was the first pick in the PWHL draft in 2023, said she worked out constantly with teammates — fellow forward Grace Zumwinkle, in particular — and got engaged to former Gophers basketball player Parker Fox.

“Lots going on this offseason,” Heise said. “I got engaged. Grace and I were probably with each other every single day, other than the weekends.

“We just knew that this was going to be a big year for us, and we really wanted to be prepared.”

So they’d skate at Breck, or in Richfield, or … wherever. “We kind of toured the Minnesota rinks,” Heise said. “Usually 10 or 11 of us would get together as a group and get our work in.”

As is the case with the WNBA, the PWHL is saturated with international superstars, so the team likely will be contributing to various Olympic rosters this winter. Heise is among those likely to play for the United States, and on Wednesday the team traded for forward Denisa Křížová, who played in the last Olympics for Czechia.

The Frost lost Křížová in the expansion draft, and valued her enough to trade away Anna Segedi shortly before opening night.

“Denisa has been a key member of this team for the first two years,” coach Ken Klee said. “We were extremely sad to lose her. When the opportunity presented itself to get her back, we just felt like it was something we had to do.”

“Our team looks really good so far,” Stecklein said. “It will be really fun to raise that banner and honor last year’s team.”

Klee has led the Frost to both titles. He’s known for a calm demeanor, and an empathetic approach with his players.

“The experiences he had, as a player and a coach, have been really crucial to us,” Stecklein said. “To have someone who has gone through the professional experience helped a lot. He knows how to keep a team going throughout a season, through the ups and downs, and helps us keep our energy through the playoffs. That’s been huge.

“The way he’s played us in the regular season has led to success. We always have four lines, we’re six or seven deep on defense, we have two great goalies, and the way he’s used that depth and encouraged people to play, and play free, I think that’s been really important.”

Heise has experienced growing notoriety befitting a two-time champion.