ST. PAUL, MN (June 12, 2026) – The Minnesota Frost today announced that defender Lee Stecklein has been re-signed to a two-year Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Standard Player Agreement through the 2027-28 season and forward Grace Zumwinkle has been re-signed to a three-year contract through the 2028-29 season. With the signings, Stecklein and Zumwinkle are the first two of three players to be protected by the team as part of Phase 3 of the PWHL’s Expansion Player Distribution Process ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Stecklein had her most productive offensive output in the 2025-26 season, ending with 14 points (1G, 13A) in 28 games. Her 13 assists tied for the fifth-most amongst all defenders and more than doubled the six she amassed in each of her previous two seasons. The Roseville, MN, native was one of the first three foundational players signed by Minnesota ahead of the inaugural PWHL season, serving as an alternate captain and recording 31 points (6G, 25A) in 82 career regular-season games, and helping lead the Frost to two Walter Cup championships with 13 points (4G, 9A) in 23 career postseason games. Her accolades include four Olympic appearances, winning two gold medals (2018 PyeongChang and 2026 Milano Cortina) and two silver (2014 Sochi and 2022 Beijing). The 32-year-old has also competed in nine IIHF Women’s World Championships, amassing seven gold medals for Team USA. The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities alum helped the Golden Gophers to three NCAA championships and was a three-time All-American during her collegiate tenure.
Zumwinkle ended a successful 2025-26 campaign with career highs in all offensive categories. Her 23 points across 29 appearances tied for fifth among all skaters and included 13 goals, tied for fourth-most leaguewide. She finished her strongest of three seasons with 52 career points (28G, 24A) in 75 games, following a 2024-25 campaign where she missed eight games due to injury. Selected 13th overall by Minnesota in the inaugural PWHL Draft, Zumwinkle has been a cornerstone player throughout her tenure, garnering 2024 PWHL Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team and Second Team All-Star honors, and helped lead the Frost to consecutive Walter Cup championships. The 27-year-old from Excelsior, MN, made her second Olympic appearance for Team USA in Milan, marking her first Olympic gold medal, having previously earned silver in the 2022 Beijing Games. The former Golden Gopher and two-time NCAA Second Team All-American has also won three medals at Women’s Worlds (Gold: 2025; Silver: 2021, 2022).
In Phase 1 of the expansion process, the Frost re-signed forwards Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek, each to three-year contracts through 2028-29, and also protected goaltender Maddie Rooney who is under contract through 2027-28.
During Phase 3, existing PWHL teams may protect three players under contract for the 2026-27 season, and/or players on expiring contracts signed during this phase. At the end of this phase, each existing team’s total protected list will consist of six players, and expansion teams will have up to eight total players, each signing a maximum of three players on expiring contracts during this phase. The Phase 3 signing period continues until Friday, June 12 at 2 p.m. CT, followed by a 4 p.m. CT deadline for existing teams to submit their protection lists.
A complete list of player signings and transactions is available on the official PWHL Transactions Page. To see the full overview of the status of PWHL player contracts, visit the PWHL Contract Guide here.