Amber Fryklund Introduced as New BSU Women’s Hockey Head Coach

Earlier this week, Bemidji State women’s hockey coach Jim Scanlan retired after spending a decade at the helm for the Beavers. A day later, the athletic department announced former player and current assistant coach Amber Fryklund would take over in a seamless transition.

On Friday, athletic director Britt Lauritsen introduced the new bench boss in a press conference at the John Glas Fieldhouse, where she spoke highly of Fryklund and the impact she can make for women’s hockey at BSU.

“Coach Fryklund is synonymous with women’s hockey, here in Bemidji, in the state of Minnesota, and on the national landscape,” said Lauritsen. “And when you have somebody like that who’s able to come in, you know, for a great coach like Coach Scanlan, we have to be excited about that and we are so excited to watch her lead this program into the next generation of Bemidji State University women’s hockey.”

“Being a part of this program’s so special to me, and to coach where you played, I mean, not many people get that opportunity,” Fryklund said. “To have the chance to serve in this role, serve our student-athletes, lead them and be a part of our institution is really special. And so all the emotions: overwhelmed, excited and eager and really, really grateful.”

Fryklund also spoke on her vision for the future of women’s hockey at Bemidji State and her plan to make it a reality as they head into a new era.

“We have a great institution, great academic programs. Our players are committed to their academic excellence and excellence on the ice,” she explained, “and we have a positive team culture. So building on that and … we want to be a top team in our league. When you’re top team in our league, you’re going to be in the national conversation as well. We’ve had success here before. We’ve had 21 seasons and that’s our vision.”

Amber Fryklund takes over as the sixth head coach in program history, and she follows a tough act in Jim Scanlan, who was not only the longest tenured coach in program history, but also the winningest with 122 wins.