If Minnesota regards itself as the State of Hockey, the Twin Cities' Professional Women's Hockey League franchise will feature plenty of homegrown players, including Taylor Heise.
The 2022 women's college hockey player of the year, who played for the Golden Gophers and grew up 75 miles from Minneapolis, is staying home after the yet-to-be-named Minnesota franchise used the No. 1 pick to select Heise in the newly launched league's inaugural draft on Monday.
"It's an unreal feeling," the 23-year-old Heise said. "It's my home. Everyone I love is there. And it's the State of Hockey. I'm just honored that I'm going to be able to play and to show little girls that anything is possible if you keep working hard.