Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1514026
" " Home Arena: Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, Minn.) General Manager: Natalie Darwitz Coach: Charlie Burggraf American Players: Lauren Bench, Abby Boreen, Sydney Brodt, Brooke Bryant, Claire Butorac, Natalie Buchbinder, Clair DeGeorge, Maggie Flaherty, Brittyn Fleming, Taylor Heise, Nicole Hensley, Dominique Kremer, Sophia Kunin, Nikki Nightengale, Kelly Pannek, Maddie Rooney, Liz Schepers, Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Lee Stecklein, Grace Zumwinkle. Natalie Darwitz wasted no time in estab- lishing the tenor of the Minnesota squad by signing fellow Minnesota natives Lee Stecklein and Kelly Pannek alongside Kendall Coyne-Schofield in the initial free agency period. Darwitz fortified that home-grown feeling by drafting Taylor Heise first overall in the inaugural draft. In fact, nearly every player Minnesota took to training camp is a native or spent time playing hockey in the state—whether at Shattuck St. Mary's, in the NCAA or with the Minnesota Whitecaps. The Minnesota team has a lot going for it, but what should scare their opponents is the idea of Heise and Grace Zumwinkle teaming back up. The two were second and third in scoring in the NCAA last season, combining for 55 goals and 72 assists in 39 games played. They are dynamic individually, but explosive together. 34 // JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM –Hilary Knight Let's take a look at some of the American- born players who will be lacing up their skates in the PWHL. 54 PLAYERS from the States began the 2024 PWHL season on rosters. Kelly Pannek Home Arena: Tsongas Center (Lowell, Mass.) General Manager: Danielle Marmer Coach: Courtney Kessel American Players: Hannah Brandt, Emily Brown, Sammy Davis, Shiann Darkangelo, Aerin Frankel, Taylor Girard, Megan Keller, Hilary Knight, Cami Kronish, Gigi Marvin, Sidney Morin, Amanda Pelkey, Taylor Wenczkowski. Boston started by signing the American trio of Hilary Knight, Megan Keller and Aerin Frankel to three-year contracts in the initial free agency period. Knight, the first-ever IIHF Female Player of the Year and all time IIHF Women's World Championship scoring leader (61 goals, 101 points), will anchor the team up front and brings not just a knack for the back of the net, but an innate sense in front of it and the ability to use her size and strength to contest every inch of the ice. She's a leader in every sense of the word and has been at the front of the push for this league. On defense, the team has two Boston- area college graduates in Keller (Boston College) and Frankel (Northeastern). They are fixtures on the U.S. Women's National Team as well as icons of women's hockey in Boston. Frankel is one of the best there is with her glove hand and uses her relatively smaller size well to be active in the crease. Keller rarely gets pushed off a puck on defense and is one of the best at start- ing the breakout in the other direction while bringing a massive shot from the blue line. We've all been working towards this the last 10-plus years. Many years we've been scratching the surface of what could be. Now we're here, and it's going to be a magical journey for everyone.