Minnesota Frost protects 3 players from PWHL Expansion Draft

Minnesota Frost celebrate 2nd Walter Cup title [FULL EVENT]

The Minnesota Frost celebrated its second straight Walter Cup title Wednesday night with a parade and event at Xcel Energy Center in front of family and fans.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Professional Women’s Hockey League is adding teams in Seattle and Vancouver for the 2026 season, and on June 9, they’ll have an expansion draft to start forming their rosters.

The Minnesota Frost on Tuesday announced four players they are protecting from the PWHL Expansion Draft, which means they cannot be selected by Seattle or Vancouver, and are expected to be on the 2026 roster.

Who did the Frost protect?

What we know:

Coming off winning their second straight PWHL title, here are the four players the Frost are protecting from the draft:

• Taylor Heise
• Kendall Coyne Schofield
• Lee Stecklein

Heise was the Frost’s No. 1 overall pick in the first PWHL Draft two seasons ago. She had eight goals and 14 assists this season for the Frost. 

Coyne Schofield led the Frost with 12 goals and 12 assists this season.

Stecklein, a key piece on defense, had three goals and six assists in 30 games this past season.

How does the PWHL Expansion Draft work?

The other side:

Both Seattle and Vancouver can pick at least seven players from other PWHL rosters until they reach a 12-player roster.

Who are the Frost at risk of losing?

Why you should care:

The Frost have 12 players who are eligible for the team's fourth protected pick, the league’s exclusive signing window or to be picked in the expansion draft:

• Mae Batherson
• Britta Curl-Salemme
• Nicole Hensley
• Klara Hymlarova
• Sophie Jacques
• Katy Knoll
• Denisa Krizova
• Brooke McQuigge
• Kelly Pannek
• Dominique Petrie
• Claire Thompson
• Grace Zumwinkle

The names to watch on that list are Curl-Salemme, Jacques, Thompson and Hensley. Thompson tied for second on the Frost with 14 assists and had 18 points on the season. Jacques tied with Heise for second on the team with 22 total points. Curl-Salemme had nine goals. Hensley played 11 games in net as the back-up to Maddie Rooney, and went 7-3-1 with one shutout, a .900 save percentage and a 2.53 goals against average.

The Frost have a dozen other players who are eligible for the league's exclusive signing window, a five-day period where Seattle and Vancouver can sign players from other PWHL teams who are either unprotected or are on expiring contracts before the draft.

Frost GM reacts

What they're saying:

Minnesota Frost General Manager Melissa Caruso issued a statement Tuesday after the team announced its protected picks:

"It's been a roller coaster of a week for the Frost. After winning the Walter Cup we transitioned quickly to exit meetings and a lot of tough conversations regarding the deadline that was looming this morning. At the end of the day, we are fortunate to be in a situation where we have so many impact players on this roster. Unfortunately, we are just not able to protect them all," Caruso said.