Minnesota Frost Wrap Up 2026 Draft With Six Players

The Minnesota Frost are working on bringing us another incredible season with the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

In last night's draft, the Frost picked six players, including an Elk River native and a defender who spent her college career at the University of Minnesota Duluth, giving Minnesota fans a pair of newbies with strong ties to the State of Hockey.

REBUILDING FOR NEXT SEASON

The two-time Walter Cup champions used the draft to add talent at every position as they continue rebuilding after the league's recent expansion. While all six players bring impressive talents, two of the selections already have connections to Minnesota hockey.

Get our free mobile app

MEET MADDY CHRISTIAN

Forward Maddy Christian grew up in Elk River before starring at Penn State University. Christian has become a reliable two-way player during her collegiate career and now has the opportunity to begin her professional career with her home-state team.

MEET TOVA HENDERSON

Defenseman Tova Henderson may be from British Columbia, but she is no stranger to Minnesota hockey fans. Henderson spent five seasons at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she established herself as a dependable defender in one of the toughest conferences in women's college hockey.

FIRST ROUND PICK SARA SWIDERSKI

Other additions this year to our Minnesota Frost roster include first-round pick, defenseman Sara Swiderski from Ohio State University. Swiderski helped the Buckeyes capture a national championship and is known for her strong defensive play and leadership on and off the ice.

MEET VIIVI VAINIKKA

Forward Viivi Vainikka is from Espoo, Finland, and played professional hockey in Sweden's SDHL. She won an Olympic bronze medal with Finland and is known as a player who can create offense and kick butt on power plays.

MEET DARYA GREDZEN

Goaltender Darya Gredzen is from Novosibirsk, Russia. She was named Russia's Best Player in 2024 and Best Goaltender in 2025. The 21-year-old has nearly 200 games of professional experience and is also one of the rare right-catching goaltenders in women's hockey. Because she's considered one of the best young goaltenders in the league, she could be considered one of the best steals in the draft.

MEET LARA BEECHER

Finally, meet Clarkson University forward Lara Beecher. Lara is from Buffalo, New York, and began her career at the University of Vermont before switching to Clarkson. Beecher was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year in 2023 when she was at Vermont. She was a late-round pick, which tells me that our Minnesota Frost staff sees her as a player who will continue to improve and that her best hockey is yet to come. We're hoping it will be with The Minnesota Frost!

MINNESOTA FANS LOVE THE LOCAL CONNECTIONS

For Minnesota fans, the addition of Christian and Henderson provides a pair of familiar connections as the Frost begin their pursuit of another Walter Cup championship.

Around 500 comments and likes have already been made since the social media post featuring our new players' photos went up.

Minnesota Frost fans are ready to start the season now! I can't wait to see what these new picks will do for our talented Minnesota Frost coming up next season. Go Frost! The next season for the PWHL is expected to start in November.