On August 29, 2023, it was announced that one of the PWHL's first six franchises would be located in Minnesota.[1][2] The team immediately filled the void left by the loss of the Minnesota Whitecaps, a long-running club that had most recently played in the defunct Premier Hockey Federation.[3] On September 1, Natalie Darwitz, former captain of the United States national team and three-time Olympic medalist, was named the PWHL Minnesota's general manager.[4][5] On September 15, former Bethel University men's and women's head coach Charlie Burggraf was announced as the first head coach of the team.[6] However, it was announced on December 27 that Burggraf was stepping down, and would be replaced by former U.S. national team coach Ken Klee.[7]
Minnesota celebrating a victory over PWHL Montreal in 2024.
Inaugural season
Ahead of the team's inaugural game in January 2024, it was announced that Kendall Coyne Schofield would serve as team captain, with Kelly Pannek and Lee Stecklein serving as alternate captains.[12] The team played its first game on January 3, facing PWHL Boston in Lowell, Massachusetts. Taylor Heise scored the first goal in franchise history, and Minnesota went on to win by a score of 3–2.[13] Minnesota made its home debut three days later, on January 6, defeating Montreal by a score of 3–0 in front of 13,316 fans, which set a new record for attendance at a professional women's hockey game.[14]Grace Zumwinkle recorded a hat-trick in the game, and Maddie Rooney recorded the shutout.[15]
On May 5, 2024, the team secured the fourth seed in the inaugural PWHL playoffs.[16] PWHL Minnesota beat first-ranked PWHL Toronto in a five-game semifinal series, completing a reverse sweep after losing the first two games and advancing to the finals against PWHL Boston.[17] In the finals, PWHL Minnesota won a close-fought series. The championship came down to a decisive Game 5; Minnesota overcame a double-overtime loss in Game 4 at home to win 3–0 on the road at Boston's Tsongas Center.[18][19] This made Minnesota the PWHL's inaugural Walter Cup champions.[19] Heise led the playoffs in scoring and won the inaugural Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award.[20] After the season, Zumwinkle was named the PWHL's rookie of the year.[21]
Natalie Darwitz parted ways with the team in June 2024, with Ken Klee taking over as acting general manager.[22] In September, the team hired Melissa Caruso as its new general manager.[23]
Minnesota, along with the other PWHL charter franchises, operated without unique branding for the league's inaugural season—the team was known as PWHL Minnesota and wore a league-wide jersey template that featured the state's name diagonally on the front.[24] The team did have its own colour scheme, featuring purple and black. In October 2023, the league registered a trademark for the name Minnesota Superior, seemingly in reference to Lake Superior.[25] However, in September 2024, when the PWHL unveiled franchise nicknames, Minnesota was given the name Frost, which the league stated was in honor of Minnesota's "deep-rooted love for the ice".[26] A report from The Hockey News stated that other names in contention for Minnesota included the Marmots and the Monarchs.[27] In addition to the Frost name, the team's logo was unveiled—the initial "F" featuring icicles.[26] The team retained its color scheme.
^Kennedy, Ian (November 23, 2023). "PWHL Releases Jersey Designs". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
^Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (January 2, 2024). "PWHL sorting out missing pieces like team names and logos as it goes along". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024. However there are some missing pieces, such as names and logos for the six teams. "I don't, I don't," PWHL advisory board member Stan Kasten said Monday on whether he has a timeline for those key elements to be included.
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