After a three-year hiatus, Amber Fryklund has rejoined the Bemidji State women’s hockey coaching staff and will return as associate head coach.
Fryklund rejoins the Beavers after a career in teaching and served as an assistant professor of Human Performance, Sport and Health at Bemidji State following her leave of the program after the 2019-20 season. Before her career change, Fryklund spent nine seasons on the BSU women’s coaching staff and the last four as associate head coach.
“We are very excited to have Coach Fryklund rejoin our program,” said Bemidji State head coach Jim Scanlan in a statement. “Amber was a big part of some of our programs most successful seasons and has always been a tremendous ambassador for our program, our university and our community as well. I am excited our student-athletes will have a tremendous role model and mentor in Coach Fryklund and she is someone who will bring experience and passion to our group.”
Fryklund established herself as one of the greatest players to play for the Bemidji State women’s hockey program and in just three seasons and 100 games, she is still the program’s all-time leading scorer with 122 points on 59 goals and 63 assists. She was the first BSU women’s player to break the 100-point barrier and owns two of the top three single-season point totals in program history, including a BSU-record 49-point 2000-01 season.
A two-time all-WCHA second team selection, she was the first BSU player to earn all-WCHA honors in 2001-02 and led the BSU women’s hockey team to back-to-back appearances in the WCHA tournament (2002 and 2003).
She was inducted into the Bemidji State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
A prominent figure not only in Bemidji State women’s hockey history, Fryklund is also known as a pioneer of girls hockey in Minnesota. She was a Ms. Minnesota Hockey finalist in her prep days at Hibbing High School, co-head coach of the Duluth Northern Stars from 2003 to 2009 and an assistant coach for the Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall Mirage during the 2009-2011 seasons.
In addition, she has worked hockey camps across the state of Minnesota and works with the Minnesota Hockey High Performance Girls 15 Development program. She has also spent time working with USA Hockey development camps and has served on the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee.
Fryklund received her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education teaching K-12 from Bemidji State in 2003 and her master’s degree in educational leadership from Minnesota Duluth in 2007. She received her doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration from St. Cloud State in 2019.
