Minnesota Frost Wrap Up 2026 PWHL Expansion Process

The month of June has moved fast, and the Minnesota Frost have finally reached the end of the PWHL expansion process that has seen quite a few players come and go. We’ve already covered the first four phases of the six-phase expansion; now it’s time to look at phases 5 and 6 to end the process fully. 

Coming into Phase 5, the Frost had already lost Britta Curl-Salemme who signed with PWHL Detroit, defenders Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper followed her but they both signed with PWHL Las Vegas and that was just Phase 2. In Phase 3 they lost goaltender Nicole Hensley who also signed with PWHL Las Vegas. 

She was the only loss of Phase 3, but they lost more in Phase 4 as Abby Hustler joined PWHL Hamilton and Katy Knoll left to join PWHL Las Vegas. After the losses, the Frost did have some good news in Phase 6, and we’ll take a look at that starting with the first players they secured. 

Frost Kept Some Depth 

The Frost didn’t sign any players during Phase 5, but they did have to extend a qualifying offer to any players whose rights are held during the 2026-27 season to stay with their team past the start of Phase 6, which was the opening signing period. Phase 6 is when everything started to move for the Frost as they re-signed Claire Butorac and Klára Hymlárová. These two players are typically more behind-the-scenes players, but they are still strong signings nonetheless. 

Butorac has been with the Frost since day 1, and again, although she’s more of a background player, she jumps into the play when she sees an opportunity. Looking at her stats, she’s clearly a defensive-minded forward and contributes points here and there. The Frost needed scorers, which is why they locked up Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, and Grace Zumwinkle, but they also need depth players to keep the puck away from their net. 

Hymlárová joined the Frost in their second season, and she’s a player similar to Butorac; she doesn’t receive much attention, but she makes a difference. However, the one difference between the two players is Hymlárová’s ability to step up in the postseason. Hopefully, both of them will continue to make an impact for the Frost now that they’ve been signed. 

Frost Continue Building Depth 

Day 1 of Phase 6 started off busy for the Frost, but that was just the beginning as they announced four more signings before the end of the day. Those players were Sam Cogan, Élizabeth Giguère, Peyton Anderson, and Brooke Becker. All of these players impacted the lineup in different ways, and the Frost made it clear they wanted them back. 

Cogan was the newest member of the Frost as they signed her to a reserve contract back in March. She only played in six games during the regular season, but her play was enough to earn a spot in the postseason. Her time in the playoffs was where she shone as she played in all five games and put up two points, a goal, and an assist. She’s a player with size and skill, something the Frost can always use more of, and hopefully she can show her true potential with a full season in a Frost jersey. 

Next was Giguère, who joined the team when Kendall Coyne-Schofield was injured during her time in the 2026 Olympics in Milan. Giguère was signed, and Coyne-Schofield was put on long-term injured reserve. She played in 13 games and tallied one assist, but she also played in all five games of the postseason and recorded zero points. Just like Butorac, she’s more of a background player and doesn’t get much recognition, but that doesn’t make her any less important. 

Peyton Anderson was also re-signed, and she was one whose play was noticed. She’s not a big player like some of her teammates, but she has quite a bit of speed, which she utilized a few times throughout the season. Once she got a break, she was gone, and although she only scored one goal and one assist for two points in 26 games, she proved to be a valuable player that the Frost wanted back. She was quiet in the postseason, but now that she’s got a full season of experience, it’ll be interesting to see how much confidence she plays with next season. 

The final player they re-signed was another rookie player, Brooke Becker. She’s a defender who played in 27 games for the Frost and registered one assist. After losing Batherson and Cooper, they had to make sure they had other defenders ready to go, and that meant re-signing Becker. She’ll be alongside Lee Stecklein, Sidney Morin, and Natalie Buchbinder, along with their new draftees. The Frost re-signed these players because they liked their play and wanted them back for next season. Hopefully, they’ll prove they were worth re-signing. 

Frost’s Interesting Roster for Next Season

For the second straight offseason, the Frost, along with the other existing teams, has watched players leave due to expansion. While it’s been said many times, expansion is great; it means the league is growing, but at the same time, it’s hard on the existing teams who’ve built their rosters only for them to be picked apart. 

The Frost lost more key pieces this time around, and while they kept some of their top players, there were still holes in the lineup. They did fill some of those with the draft, but it’s going to be interesting to see how the team chemistry is and what players get paired together. Also, while they kept Maddie Rooney in goal, Nicole Hensley left, and they drafted a new goaltender who will have a lot of pressure on her shoulders to fill Hensley’s spot. 

Every team is likely going to have a rough start this season as they’ve all lost players and the new teams are just getting going. Hopefully, the Frost can pull it together, and these new players can be even better than the ones before them and try to chase a third Walter Cup.