Former ice hockey player Brianna Decker, whose career was cut short at 30 due to a serious injury to her left leg during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, found solace in her plan B: coaching. After six years as an assistant in development with USA Hockey and at Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Minnesota, Decker makes the jump to the professional realm. The 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame induction class member joins the coaching staff of head coach Ken Klee with the PWHL champion team, Minnesota Frost, as announced by the team on Monday.
Decker, 34, joins the Frost after three seasons as an associate coach at Shattuck, and four periods with the Team USA Under-18 team, where she coached rising stars like Caroline Harvey, Haley Winn, Casey O’Brien, and Hannah Bilka. Her transition to the PWHL is facilitated by her familiarity with the Frost, replacing Mira Jalosuo, who was hired to coach at St. Cloud State. Decker reunites with her former U.S. teammates, captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, forward Kelly Pannek, and defenseman Lee Stecklein. Previously, Decker played under Klee, who led the U.S. national team to gold medal victories at the 2015 and 2016 world championships. She also has ties to Frost assistant coach Chris Johnson, whose father Mark coached Decker at Wisconsin. She has a remarkable history of success, leadership, and vision both on and off the ice that will make her a great asset to our team. Klee anticipates that Decker will focus in part on the development of the younger players of the Frost, and noted that their veterans were excited to hear the news of his hiring. Decker, from Wisconsin, is a three-time Olympian and six-time gold medalist at the world championships. Her career essentially ended after breaking her leg and suffering a torn ankle ligament in the opening match of the 2022 Olympics against Finland. After retiring a year later, Decker’s 68 points at the world championships ranked third at the time among American players. She was twice MVP of the National Women’s Hockey League, voted the best college hockey player in 2012, and won a national title in Wisconsin a year earlier. When she began her coaching career with the U.S. Under-18 team in 2019, Decker didn’t realize how valuable the experience would be sooner than expected.My passion for hockey hasn’t changed since I retired.
Brianna Decker
Decker’s hiring coincides with his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in a class that also includes Montreal Victoire general manager Danièle Sauvageau, the first woman inducted in the builders category. Decker laughed when asked if being a Hall of Famer could help her message as a coach come to fruition.Training and playing at the same time benefited me as a coach. It has allowed me to make the transition a little easier. I didn’t expect my playing career to end like this… But once I was on the ice, being able to impact the players was really rewarding.
Brianna Decker
I guess it helps. I guess it could also add more pressure, right? So I really have to know what I’m talking about.
Brianna DeckerDecker also added:The only thing I learned is that it didn’t matter if it was a dad in jeans training you or a Hall of Famer. You have to respect them, as you can always learn something from them. And that’s what I hope to do, help these girls learn some things they don’t know.
Brianna Decker
