The PWHL just ended their second season by awarding the Walter Cup to the Minnesota Frost, who remain the only team in PWHL existence to win the Walter Cup. They wrote another item in the history books as the first team to win back-to-back. While the Frost will be celebrating for some time, it’s going to be different than their first win as the PWHL is expanding and the two new teams will start building their rosters in a few days.
The protected list comes out on Tuesday, June 3, and teams are able to start signing players on Wednesday, June 4th, until Sunday, June 8th, with the Expansion Draft on June 9th. Both Seattle and Vancouver, who have yet to release team names, will begin signing and drafting players this week, and that means every team in the league, including the Frost, will no longer be the same.
Each team is only allowed to protect three players at first, but after they lose two players, they can protect another. It is important to note that each team can only lose a total of four players throughout both expansion processes. Players who are under contract for next season or have their rights held by a team for next season are the only ones eligible for protection.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the three players the Frost should and likely will protect. They have a lot of great names, and they’re going to lose some strong pieces, but choices have to be made. They have to choose from Mae Batherson, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Britta Curl-Salemme, Taylor Heise, Nicole Hensley, Klára Hymlárová, Sophie Jaques, Katy Knoll, Denisa Křížová, Brooke McQuigge, Kelly Pannek, Dominique Petrie, Lee Stecklein, Claire Thompson, and Grace Zumwinkle.
Coyne-Schofield Needs to Stay
Every single player on that list is a big part of the Frost’s lineup, and no matter who they lose, it’s going to be hard. Normally, protecting a goaltender should be crucial, but since they can work on signing Maddie Rooney, who’s a free agent, they should protect someone else, and that should be their captain. While Coyne-Schofield is older, she is a huge part of the lineup and easily their best player outside of Heise.
She’s the fastest skater and plays a heads-up style that makes everyone on her line better. She gets a lot of breakaway opportunities because of that speed, and although a lot of them don’t go in, the fact that she gets the chances and creates openings for her teammates is key. She’s another player who improved her stats from her first to her second season, and while she’s older, she doesn’t seem to be slowing down, at least not yet.
In her first season, she registered six goals and 10 assists for 16 points, and this season she acquired 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points. She added six goals in her second season and helped get her team to the PWHL Finals for the second straight season, and won the Walter Cup back-to-back. It would be understandable if the Frost don’t protect her specifically because of her age and the fact that her game could go down quickly, but it’s a hard choice either way.
Heise is Franchise Face
This one is a no-brainer; regardless of who else they choose to protect, they have to have Heise. She’s young and is easily their best player after Coyne-Schofield when it comes to speed and scoring skills. She also improved her defensive skills from her first to second season, especially when it came to the postseason. She wasn’t just offense first; she was willing to drop back and help protect her goaltender as well.
Just like her captain and linemate, she improved her scoring from her first season to her second. She went from four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 19 games to eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points in 29 games. She’s 25 years old and has a long, promising career ahead, and the Frost need that on their team.
In the postseason, she scored one goal and assisted on six others for seven points, one shy of the year prior, but again, she worked harder defensively as well. Outside of the stats, Heise is a leader and will likely have an “A” or “C” on her jersey in the future, which is just another reason they need to protect her. A player like Heise is hard to find.
Jaques Should Be Protected
It’s a tie for the best defender on the team, and it’s between Jaques and Stecklein. Both are solid, but Jaques has the upper hand when it comes to producing, and she has a wicked shot that she knows how to use. It’s hard to choose, but Jaques scored seven goals and assisted on 15 others for 22 points in 25 games played, while Stecklein tallied three goals and six assists for nine points in 30 games.
Jaques more than doubled her point totals from her first season to her second, and that included a midseason trade that only resulted in her getting better. She also improved her production from her first postseason to her second as well. Jaques recorded five points in 10 games played in her first playoffs, and this time around, she scored two goals again but added five assists for seven points. It’s a small increase, but enough to be noticed.
She’s another player that can be a leader, and if the Frost do lose Stecklein, Jaques has the ability to fill that leadership role. Obviously, in a perfect world, the team would be able to keep both, but unfortunately, things have to change. Jaques should be a part of the Frost’s future if they want to make it back to try for a third straight Walter Cup.
Petrie Should be Fourth
This was a hard choice to make because it ultimately came down to three names, Petrie, Pannek, or Stecklein, and if the Frost chose any of the three, it would be a good choice. The main reason Petrie made the list was because of her strength in her rookie season and her ability to continue to grow. Pannek and Stecklein are a little older, not old enough to say no, but when it comes down to one player, youth is usually the way to go, especially when they’ve proved themselves.
Petrie did have some injury issues but the Frost know what they have and will likely be willing continue with the numbers she had. She played in 18 regular-season games and scored three goals plus seven assists for 10 points, plus she had 32 shots on goal. In the postseason, she played in seven games, missed one due to an injury, and registered one assist.
She has a lot of room to improve and has a lot of potential, which is why the Frost should look into protecting her after they let go of two players. However, if they decide to allow her to go unprotected, Pannek or Stecklein should be the fourth option.
PWHL Has Promising Future
It’s impressive that the PWHL is able to expand after only two seasons, but they’ve found a way. While it will be difficult to see fan favorites leave and change teams, it’s a part of the business, and the league has to find ways to grow, which means expanding. It’s a good sign, and although it’s hard, it’s good because these players have a way to showcase their talents at the top level.
“…to kind of go back on the questions that Melissa (Caruso) had, we know we’re going to lose four great players, and so is everyone else. It’s just as interesting for us I think as it is for everybody to say okay we only can protect three, so no matter what we’re losing four great players, whether they’re four old players, four young players, four in between players like we have no idea how these new franchises are going to put their team together, but it’s certainly exciting…” said Ken Klee in a media availability about the expansion process following the end of the season.
Related: 2025 NHL Draft Guide
Following the expansion process, the next PWHL event will be the PWHL Entry Draft that will be held at the end of June. This will allow every team to build their rosters for the future and bring in some more young talent.
