The Minnesota Frost forward group is about to look very different next season. The Frost lost a number of key contributors to expansion and free agency in the offseason. The losses will force Minnesota to turn to some familiar faces and rookies to fill the holes. Here are the three biggest questions facing the Minnesota Frost forward group as we look ahead to training camp.
Frost Forwards
Under Contract (9):
Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, Grace Zumwinkle, Claire Butorac, Sam Cogan, Dominique Petrie, Élizabeth Giguère, Klára Hymlárová, Peyton Anderson
Draft Picks (3):
Viivi Vainikka, Maddy Christian, Lara Beecher
Who will step into the top-six openings?
Holding on to Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek this offseason gives the Minnesota Frost two of the best offensive centers in the PWHL. No other team in the PWHL has one, much less two, centers that have scored 30 or more points in a single season. On top of that, keeping Grace Zumwinkle in Minnesota was also massive, with Kendall Coyne-Schofield’s future still up in the air.
Heading into training camp, the Frost have at least two, possibly three top-six wing spots open. The biggest question for me heading into training camp is who will get the first crack at filling the open top-six holes?
2026 second-round draft pick Viivi Vainikka is an obvious candidate for a top-line role. Vainikka is a dynamic offensive player with tons of speed and skill. At 24, Vainikka has already had a decorated career internationally for Finland and domestically in Sweden. Last season, she scored 40 points in 36 games for SDHL champions Brynäs.
2026 third-round draft pick Maddy Christian could also get a chance at the top of the lineup. The Elk River native followed up a 21-goal, 33-point junior season at Penn State with 19 goals and 35 points for the Nittany Lions in 39 games last season.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sam Cogan get a look in an elevated role as well. Cogan was relatively quiet in her six regular-season appearances for the Frost last season as she transitioned back to the PWHL after a dominant year in Sweden. In the playoffs against Montréal, I thought Cogan was one of the Frost’s most consistent forwards in the series. She scored a goal and an assist across the five games.
I’d expect plenty of other players to get a chance to fill top-six roles throughout training camp and the preseason. Klára Hymlárová has played in a top-six role for the Frost in the past, Élizabeth Giguère got a brief stint alongside Taylor Heise at the end of last season, and sixth-round pick Lara Beecher profiles as a middle-six forward with some offensive upside.
What should the Frost expect from Kelly Pannek?
Kelly Pannek’s 2025-2026 PWHL campaign was record-setting. The Minnesota Frost center led the league in goals, set a single-season PWHL record for points (33), and tied the record for most power-play goals in a single season (7). Pannek’s scoring outburst saw her take home plenty of hardware at the PWHL awards in Detroit, including Forward of the Year and a First All-Star Team selection.
However, Pannek’s offensive outburst in 2025-2026 was a bit of an anomaly. Combined, Pannek had scored seven goals and 27 points across 54 PWHL games heading into last season. The offensive discrepancy raises the obvious question: what is a reasonable expectation for Pannek offensively in 2026-2027?
Whenever a player has a breakout campaign, shooting percentage is a good first place to look. Pannek posted a whopping 27.6% shooting percentage in the regular season in 2025-2026, which was a career high and third best in the entire league. For reference, Maya Labad had a 50% shooting percentage to lead the league, but she took just 2 shots; Pannek took 58. Pannek has spoken about working on her shot in the offseason, but it’s unrealistic to expect her to replicate a 27.6% shooting percentage next season.
Pannek’s outlier shooting percentage could indicate a drop in production next season. However, I don’t think it’s quite as simple as an inevitable drop in shooting percentage tanking Pannek’s scoring stats. Last season, Pannek took a ton of high-percentage shots in and around the opponent’s net. Part of the reason Pannek’s shooting percentage was so high was because the shots she was taking were so high quality.
Last season, Pannek’s ability to find open areas in front of the opponent’s net was on full display. Don’t expect her to replicate her 27.6% shooting percentage next season, but if she’s able to continue to take such high-quality shots, she’ll score plenty of goals. I think an 8-12 goal, 20-25 point season (assuming it will be another 30-game season) is a reasonable expectation for Pannek offensively.
Can Dominique Petrie stay healthy and be a difference maker?
Training camp will also mark the welcome return of center Dominique Petrie to the Frost lineup. Petrie’s PWHL career has been marked by terrible injury luck. She missed two-thirds of last season with a lower-body injury. She also missed time in her rookie season due to an upper-body injury. Across two PWHL seasons, Petrie has only played in 28 of the possible 60 regular-season games.
Though injuries have impacted her first two PWHL seasons, Petrie has been very effective when she’s healthy. Petrie scored three goals and 10 points in 18 games in her rookie season. Those numbers would put her on pace for five goals and 16 points across a 30-game season. Last season, Petrie scored two goals and totaled three points in 10 games before an injury. Combined, Petrie has scored five goals and 13 points across 28 games.
When healthy, Petrie has been a reliable contributor offensively for Minnesota. Petrie has also been strong in the faceoff dot; she has a .559 faceoff percentage. Back-to-back injury-plagued seasons create some uncertainty about what to expect of Petrie next season, but a healthy Dominique Petrie would go a long way towards quieting some of the concerns about this Minnesota Frost forward group.
Stay tuned next week for part two of State of the Frost, where I will dive into the Minnesota Frost’s defender and goaltending groups!
