Minnesota Frost Add 10 To Staff

The Minnesota Frost have added 10 individuals to the team’s staff and consulting support for the 2024-25 PWHL season.

The additions include Assistant Coach Chris “Critter” Johnson, Goalie Coach Pete Samargia, Team Services Manager Nick Bryant, Strength & Conditioning Coach Shannon MacAulay, Skills Coaches Andy Ness and John Schiavo, Assistant Equipment Manager Blake Kruse, and Scouting Consultants Dani (Cameranesi) Brodzinski, Haley Skarupa and Alyssa Sleasman.

“I am thrilled to announce these additions to the Frost's Hockey Operations Department,” said Frost General Manager Melissa Caruso. “This group brings a wonderful variety of experiences and perspectives to the team and - combined with our existing staff - will provide an environment that will enable the Frost to achieve excellence both on and off the ice. Training camp opens this week, and our group is ready to welcome our athletes back to St. Paul as we begin our defense of the Walter Cup!”

Johnson will join Ken Klee and Mira Jalosuo on the Frost bench for the upcoming season. The son of Wisconsin Women’s Hockey Coach Mark Johnson and grandson of hockey legend “Badger” Bob Johnson, “Critter” has served as the Camp Manager and Coach at the Bob Johnson Hockey School since 2004. Johnson was also an Assistant Coach at his alma mater – Augsburg College – from 2010 to 2017. Johnson holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master's degree in leadership from Augsburg, where he played four seasons of hockey and was a two-time All-American selection.

Samargia has been coaching netminders at every level since graduating from Augsburg College in 2003 and will join the Frost as the Goaltending Coach. The Eveleth, MN native has worked with multiple USHL teams dating back to 2010, most recently with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Samargia played two seasons with the University of Minnesota (1999-2001) and two with Augsburg (2001-03).

Bryant brings his extensive resume to the Frost as the Team Services Manager for Hockey Operations. Bryant’s most recent stop was with USA Hockey, serving as the Operations and Event Manager for the Women’s National Team Program since 2021. Previously, the Minnesota State University graduate worked at both the University of Minnesota-Duluth (2017-21) and his alma mater (2015-17) as the Director of Hockey Operations.

MacAulay is the Frost’s new Head Strength and Conditioning Coach joining the organization from Acumen Health & Performance Clinic in Calgary, Alberta. MacAulay has been with Team Canada’s Women's National Program since 2017 and will continue her Team Canada duties for the upcoming season. A native of Warner, AB – MacAulay played four seasons with the Clarkson Golden Knights where she was a two-time captain and won a National Championship in 2014.

Ness joins the Frost as the Skating and Skills Coach Consultant, a position he also holds with the Minnesota Wild. Ness has coached thousands of skaters around the country at every level, having worked as a lead instructor for Pro-Edge Power Skating in Minnesota since 2002. The Augsburg College alumnus has also worked with both the Men’s and Women’s programs at the University of Minnesota, the New Jersey Devils, and Team USA’s Women’s Olympic Hockey Team in 2010.

Schiavo will be the Skills Coach Consultant for the Frost in 2024-25 after finishing a playing career spanning nine seasons in the minor league hockey ranks (most recently with the Quad City Storm of the Southern Professional Hockey League). Schiavo is also a decorated veteran of multiple World Roller Hockey Championships, having won gold medals in both 2017 and 2019.

Kruse will be working on the Hockey Operations side of the organization as the Assistant Equipment Manager. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Minnesota State University, Kruse served as a Student Assistant Equipment Manager for both the Mavericks Men’s and Women’s programs for three seasons.

Dani (Cameranesi) Brodzinski is a two-time Olympic Medalist (gold 2018, silver 2022) and three-time IIHF World Championship Medalist (gold 2015, 2019 and silver 2021) who will scout Minnesota and the Upper Midwest for the Frost. Brodzinski is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where she played four seasons with the Golden Gophers, winning two National Championships and was a two-time All American (2015, 2016).

Haley Skarupa is an Olympic Gold Medalist (2018) and three-time IIHF World Champion (2015, 2016, 2017) with Team USA and will scout the East Coast and International games for the Frost. Skarupa graduated from Boston College in 2016 and played four seasons with the Eagles. She competed professionally for five seasons following her college career with the PHF’s Connecticut Whale (2016-17) and Boston Pride (2017-19), and the PWHPA’s Team New Hampshire (2020-21) and Team Sonnet (2022-23).

Alyssa Sleasman is an Assistant Coach with the Rochester Jr. Americans and will operate as a Frost scout in the upstate New York area. Sleasman is a graduate of Cornell University, where she played four years with the Big Red before embarking on a five-year professional career with the Boston Blades (one year – CWHL) and the Boston Pride (PHF).

The addition of Johnson, Samargia, Ness and Schiavo completes Minnesota’s coaching staff, led by Head Coach Ken Klee, with Assistant Coach Mira Jalosuo and Video & Hockey Operations Manager Samantha Hanson returning for the upcoming season.