Kayla Chilstrom enters her second season as head coach of the St. Catherine University women’s hockey program in 2026-27. She was named the fourth head coach in program history in May 2025 after serving as an assistant coach for 3 years.
Chilstrom brings 16 years of coaching experience, including six years at the high school level and 10 at the NCAA Division III level. Her collegiate coaching experience includes St. Catherine, St. Olaf College and her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
During four seasons on staff at UW-Superior, Chilstrom helped the Yellowjackets win 50 games and advance to the WIAC Championship semifinals each season. In her final year, UW-Superior finished 17-8-2, earned wins over nationally ranked UW-River Falls and Gustavus, and received votes in the USCHO.com national rankings.
Prior to her collegiate coaching career, Chilstrom spent six seasons at Superior High School, including five as an assistant before serving as head coach in 2016-17.
As a student-athlete at UW-Superior, Chilstrom was a member of the 2007-08 team that won the NCHA championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III Frozen Four, the program’s first appearance in the national semifinals. That team was inducted into the UW-Superior Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022. A defenseman, Chilstrom appeared in 102 career games and helped the Yellowjackets compile a 71-31-12 record.
In addition to her collegiate coaching responsibilities, Chilstrom remains heavily involved in player development throughout Minnesota. During the offseason, she coaches at the 14U Tier I level for Minnesota Hockey and serves as a coach with the CCM High Performance program at both the 14U and 15U levels. Chilstrom is also in her fifth year as an instructor at the Scott Bjugstad Shooting School, where she continues to work with and develop youth and high performance players throughout the state.
