In what was a quiet trade deadline day across the PWHL, the Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens made the most noise. On deadline day, the Frost acquired defender Jincy Roese from the Sirens in exchange for forward Denisa Křížová. Let’s dig into what the Frost are getting in Roese, and who will need to step up to make up for the loss of Křížová.
What does Jincy Roese add to Minnesota?
28-year-old Jincy Roese is a three-year veteran of the PWHL. She was a third-round selection of PWHL Ottawa in the 2023 Draft. She spent her first two PWHL seasons in Ottawa, including a three-goal 14-point season last year. Roese is also a veteran of international hockey. She represented the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where she won a silver medal.
“Jincy has proven to be a powerful defender through her tenure in the league and has a skillset we’re enthusiastic to add to our blue line,” Frost general manager Melissa Caruso said of Roese in a press release announcing the move. “Across her three seasons, she has proven to be very impactful in different systems, and we look forward to what she will add to our team.”
Last summer, Roese signed a one-year contract with the New York Sirens. In 22 games this season, Roese tallied six points, all assists. She averaged 15:24 minutes per night, which ranked fifth among New York Sirens defenders in average ice time. According to data curated by Giants in the Crease, Roese had a 1.06 pts/60 min of ice time this season for the Sirens. Her 1.06 pts/60 would be fourth highest among Frost defenders. She was one of only two New York defenders with a positive plus-minus: she was +1 on the season.
How does she fit into the lineup?
Roese is a versatile and experienced left-shot defender who has quarterbacked power plays in the PWHL. She will add offensive punch, veteran experience, and depth to the Minnesota Frost blue line.
As I wrote in my trade deadline preview, the Frost have consistently leaned on five defenders this season: Lee Stecklein, Natalie Buchbinder, Mae Batherson, Kendall Cooper, and Sidney Morin. Brooke Becker and Madison Bizal have both been in and out of the lineup as sixth and seventh-defenders. Becker has averaged 12:20 minutes per night, and Bizal has averaged 7:54.
If everyone is healthy, I would expect Roese to slide into a third-pairing role. I think Roese is an upgrade for the Frost in that role, providing a bit more offense and experience than the Frost’s current options. If that is the case, Becker and Bizal would then compete for the seventh defender spot. I think those two would be the most likely to see their playing time diminished with Roese’s addition to the lineup.
Roese also provides important injury insurance. Natalie Buchbinder missed Sunday’s game against the Boston Fleet with an upper-body injury and is currently listed as day to day. If Buchbinder is forced to miss more games, Roese provides a more experienced option for filling some of Buchbinder’s minutes. In that situation, Bizal and Becker would be competing to be the sixth defender.
How will the Frost make up for the loss of Denisa Křížová?
To acquire Roese, the Frost had to part with Deniza Křížová, who was a member of both Walter Cup-winning teams. This season, Křížová has scored one goal and five points through 23 games. She had a plus-minus of -1 in those 23 games. Křížová brought a ton of versatility to the Frost Lineup; she saw time throughout the Frost’s top six and bottom six this season.
That said, I think this move makes sense for Minnesota because even with the subtraction of Křížová, the Frost have plenty of depth on the wing. Players like Abby Hustler and Katy Knoll have stepped up and produced offense in the middle of the lineup. Peyton Anderson, Élizabeth Giguère, and Klára Hymlárová have been good in mostly smaller, bottom-six roles. Also, the recent addition of Samantha Cogan gives Minnesota another middle-six forward option.
What does this move signal for Minnesota?
Most importantly, I believe this trade makes the Frost better. I think Roese represents a clear upgrade for the Frost defense core, and Minnesota was able to acquire her without significantly weakening the forward group. I think the Frost have enough talent up front in the likes of Hustler, Knoll, Anderson, Giguère, Hymlárová, and Cogan that can step into bigger roles in Křížová’s absence.
This trade, coupled with the recent addition of Cogan, is a clear indication that the Frost are all in this season as they chase a third consecutive Walter Cup title. Currently, the Frost have a strong hold on a playoff spot. In the past week, they have made two moves to supplement and invest in the current squad. The willingness to make moves and continue to improve the lineup should be exciting for Frost fans.
In quite an interesting coda to this trade, the Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens are scheduled to play each other at the Prudential Center on Wednesday, April 1st, at 7:00 EDT. Minnesota will be looking to move one step closer to clinching a playoff spot, while New York will try desperately to keep their playoff hopes alive.