As back-to-back Walter Cup champions, the Minnesota Frost are the only franchise to claim the PWHL’s top trophy. And if you’ve watched Kendall Coyne Schofield hit the ice so far this year, it’s pretty clear the captain and her club have no intentions of sharing it.
The 33-year-old was the first player to find the back of the net to open the 2025-26 season, and now has four goals and five points through three games following her hat trick in Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Ottawa Charge.
Between last spring’s Walter Cup run, a summertime training camp with the U.S. women’s national team, and the new PWHL season now underway, Coyne Schofield has played more hockey than most the past six months. And with marquee events on the horizon — a pair of Rivalry Series matchups next week, a Takeover Tour date that doubles as a homecoming in Chicago, and of course the Olympic Games in February — she won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
-
-
This Is Our Game
Rogers is a proud partner and fan of the PWHL, and supports the growth of women’s hockey in Canada by creating unique fan experiences and inspirational opportunities for girls to connect with their hockey heroes.
Of course, she’s used to it. As a leading voice for the women’s game, a three-time Olympian, and a mom to two-and-a-half-year-old son Drew, she jokes that her middle name might just be “Logistics.”
Earlier this week, during the Frost’s recent road trip — which continues Sunday in Boston (3 p.m. ET on Sportsnet) — Coyne Schofield found time to talk about Minnesota’s campaign for a three-peat, her Olympic aspirations, and how she embraces family life and hockey life, together.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
SPORTSNET: For the second year in a row, you and the Frost opened your season by hanging a Walter Cup championship banner. How did the second compare to the first?
KENDALL COYNE SCHOFIELD: It never gets old, that’s for sure. It’s super special. I just think of the journey, I think of the teammates that were a part of the journey, the staff, the ups and the downs, just the incredible story of the entire season that led us to hoisting that Walter Cup over our heads for a second time. When you see that banner go up, you think of all of those moments, those memories. It’s a feeling that you chase every day you wake up.
There’s lots of talk about a potential three-peat. Is that something you and your teammates talk about a lot?
The goal doesn’t change. You know, every day, we wake up, the goal is to win a Walter Cup. For some players it would be three in a row, for some players it would be two in a row, and for some players it’d be their first time. The work that it takes to get there doesn’t change. We know that this is a long season and this is only the very beginning and it’s really hard to win. I think, just, the focus doesn’t change.
You’re back and forth a lot between your family home in Chicago and your hockey home in Minnesota. What does that look like for you in-season?
Sometimes I think ‘Logistics’ is my middle name these days [laughs]. I have my life and primary home in Chicago, and then in-season I’m in Minnesota, so my family tends to go back and forth a lot if we’re on the road for an extended period of time and then if we’re in Minnesota for a week or more, they’ll come to Minnesota. It’s a balancing act, it’s a juggling act, and there’s no denying that when I’m away from my family, it’s difficult. It takes a village. I’m thankful for the village that we have here within the Minnesota Frost — they’re my home away from home, they’re my second family. It makes being on the road a lot easier, knowing that I’m surrounded by incredible people that are just such a joy to be around. That makes being away from my family a lot easier.
How often does your son get to be around the rink with you?
When he’s [in Minnesota], he’s around [the rink]. It’s such a special feeling, and a welcoming feeling, knowing that he’s able to be around — that if it’s a pregame skate and I bring him to the rink, I don’t have a feeling of like, ‘Is he gonna be a distraction?’ People are asking if he’s coming. ‘Is he coming to the rink? Is he gonna be at the game today?’ So, it’s a really special feeling, knowing that he’s welcome here. And that people know that when he’s around, I’m at my happiest. Since my husband’s retirement [from the NFL], he hasn’t traveled with me as much just because he’s home with Dad. But when my husband was playing, that’s why he was on the road with us so much — we didn’t have an alternative option.
The PWHL will be landing extra close to home for you later this month, with a game in Chicago. How exciting will that be for you?
Everything comes full circle for me, just thinking about, you know, putting on my first pair of skates not too far down the road [from Chicago’s Allstate Arena]. There have been so many people that have supported me throughout my career who I know are going to be in the building that day, so it’ll be super special to be able to play in front of so many people who have helped me along the way. Knowing there’s not a PWHL team in Chicago, I can’t wait to hear about the influence that the game has on so many hockey players that are going to come into the arena that day and so many people who may not play hockey, who may say, ‘Now I want to play hockey!’ or ‘I can play hockey’ or ‘I want to be a professional hockey player,’ because they [see]that game. So, I know the impact is going to be far greater than just that day in Chicago, and I’m really looking forward to it. Poor Joe [Anderson, Frost director of business operations] has had to deal with me with tickets already, so I’ve appreciated the accommodation and I know all my teammates have been like, ‘I’m not using mine! You can have mine! I have extras!’ Everyone’s been bending over backwards to help, knowing there’s going to be a large family and friend fanbase coming my way that night.
Looking around the league, this was an off-season of lots of changes with the expansion draft. Minnesota’s offensive core remained largely intact throughout — what does that mean for your early chemistry?
I think the most important aspect of our room is that everyone feels valued. It doesn’t matter if this is your first, second, or third season in the PWHL, everyone is a contributing factor to the success of this team. Everyone plays a role in the success that we’re going to have, and knowing and feeling and believing in that for each person, makes us the best team that we can be. And I think that’s been true since the first day that I’ve been here.
The season is so young, but how would you describe the early identity of the 2025-26 Frost?
We’re still figuring it out. It’s early. But I think the way that we want to play, the way that we want to have success, the way we want to prepare, our habits, our details — none of that really changes. Has our personnel changed? Yeah, of course. Every team’s personnel has changed in some way, shape, or form — that’s pro sports, whether there’s expansion or not. The reality is, no roster is ever exactly the same year after year. There’s always gonna be a change. But I think our goal, our mission, our vision, the way we want to get there, how we want to play, the way we know we have to work, all those things, are going to contribute to the success that we’re going to have and I think whoever’s here, that’s not gonna change.
How much has the fact this an Olympic year influenced your training and approach?
We have our last two Rivalry Series games next week in Edmonton, and I think the reality for both teams is, you know, we’re all trying to make an Olympic team. We’re obviously not there yet, so these games are part of that evaluation process.
I’ve been fortunate enough to play in three Olympic Games and it’s the hardest team in the world to make, there’s no denying that. The [selection]process has been underway for us since August, with our last touchpoint before they pick a team being this next week. So, it has been busy and the demands are high, but at the end of the day I recognize that we get to play hockey. It’s a lot of hockey, but we’re playing hockey. The fact that we’re out here getting to play as much hockey as we can, I have no problem with that.
