Getting up to speed: Melissa Caruso looking to grow in GM role with Minnesota Frost
Melissa Caruso has worked in hockey for well over a decade, helping run the second-best hockey league in North America.
However, the opportunity to help run a professional women’s hockey team in her own backyard was one that she couldn’t pass up.
“I think I reached a point [working with the American Hockey League] where there really wasn’t much more growth for me to achieve,” Caruso said in an exclusive interview with Daily Faceoff. “When this job opened up, I was really interested. I’d been living in Minnesota…kind of missing that office connection and was keeping my eye out for the right fit.”
The St. Paul resident was hired as the new general manager of the Minnesota Frost in September, just over three months after the team won the inaugural Walter Cup. She admits joining a championship team is a unique situation.
“It’s not every day that a GM joins a team coming off a championship season; I’m very fortunate that a lot of the foundation has been built.”
Before Caruso was hired, Frost already had 16 roster spots locked up for next season, with only seven more available before the season begins. With the bulk of the roster in place, she says she has been focused on learning the ropes of her duties as GM.
“I’m working really hard to get up to speed heading into training camp and looking to build out the rest of our roster.”
Caruso brings years of experience in hockey, working for the AHL for 15 years, going from intern all the way to vice president of hockey operations and governance. Most of her duties included off-ice work, including building the AHL’s schedule. However, putting a team on the ice is not something on her resume, until now.
Caruso isn’t hiding the concern over her minimal team operations background. She says that she is being educated every day and is willing to bring in more faces to help with her admitted lack of experience.
“I know I don’t have that experience right off the hop. It is definitely something I’m going to learn throughout this first season. With that being said, I have a great staff in place on the hockey ops side. I have the autonomy to hire additional people who can support me in that area…people that can help me identify prospects. This is a whole pool of players who are new to me. I know I’ve got the support of the league, support of my staff on-site and the flexibility to add more people in that area.”
Even with the shortcomings on her resume, Caruso says she is ready for the challenge of running a franchise in the State of Hockey.
“What this league has built in one short year is incredible…it’s really amazing to finally have a platform for these women to be the best athletes that they can be…I have a young daughter. I know that my role on this team, and our athletes on the roster, means to young girls growing up. This is really important to me, and I’m going to succeed.”
While Caruso is coming into an exciting opportunity, she is stepping into a tough spot.
The job became available after the team’s first GM, Natalie Darwitz, parted ways with the team just a week after Minnesota won the championship. However, speculation and reporting about how things truly ended between Darwitz and the PWHL angered many fans, especially those who support the Frost. That was followed by Minnesota controversly taking Britta Curl with their second pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft, driving more of a rift between the franchise and its fanbase.
Caruso was informed on what led to the post becoming available and says the team is making strides to help repair the fractured relationship.
“[It’s] a unique situation that the team and the community has been in. I think that we’re, from a team perspective, looking to move forward…The players, especially, are ready to move forward…I think this year is going to be great. Obviously, we’ve got more games and more community events lined up. We’re getting out and about and making ourselves visible.”
Many speculated friction between Darwitz and head coach Ken Klee as the reason for the prior’s departure. However, Caruso assures that the relationship she is forming with Klee and the rest of the coaching staff has been positive with training camp approaching.
“Ken has welcomed me with open arms. I speak with him what feels like every day, at least a couple of times a week. We’re communicating really well…he’s got that experience in the women’s game that I don’t have so I’m definitely looking to utilize that out of him. He’s been helping me get up to speed…I’m going to use Ken as much as I can to help me out.”
The 2024-25 PWHL season begins on Nov. 30, with the Frost taking the ice a few days later. Caruso said that the anticipation for the new campaign is leaving her giddy.
“Honestly, I’m so excited,” Caruso said. “I don’t really even have the words…we’re less than a month away from training camp opening. It’s time for hockey season to start.”
As she looks at her roster now, Caruso is focused on bringing in the right people to help Minnesota go back-to-back.
“I want to build a room that can work collaboratively and support each other. These are the best athletes in the world and they now have that platform to play the best game of hockey that they can. I want to make sure that I’m putting together a cohesive unit and work together that can win the next championship.”
The Frost kick off their second season on Sunday, Dec. 1 when they host the New York Sirens at the Xcel Energy Center.