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MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // FEBRUARY.2016 22 Comprised of four teams—the New York Riveters, Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride and Connecticut Whale—the NWHL requires play- ers to finish college before they are allowed to play in the league. A draft conducted in June fills a team's roster, along with free agent train- ing camps held throughout the summer. One Minnesotan who found her way on to the roster this inaugural season was Lakeville net- minder Chelsea Laden. "Honestly, playing professional hockey was not even a dream for me growing up," said Laden, who played Division I hockey at Quinnipiac and now is between the pipes for the Whale. "Not because I did not want to play at the professional level, but because it simply was not a likely possibility at the time. The highest level of hockey I had dreamed about playing was Division I, which I was able to accomplish. This whole experience has made me recon- sider the bar I set for myself, and I have now come to real- ize that it is perfectly okay to dream big, even if you might sound crazy at the time." When Laura Halldorson, former University of Minnesota women's head coach, first played hockey, the idea of a professional league was beyond crazy. "I come from a time when playing hockey for girls was never even heard of," said Halldorson, who works with Minnesota Whitecaps, an elite women's hockey team, current- ly independent of a league. "Now you look at how far the sport has come, and I think of how awe- some it is that now little kids can not only dream of playing for their high school team, but their col- lege team, a professional team and the Olympics. There are so many opportunities growing in our sport." BUILDING A FAN BASE Girls in their youth association jerseys lined the glass at Ridder Arena where the Minnesota Whitecaps hosted the Boston Pride earlier this season. More young girls excitedly wait near the tunnel and in the stands, hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes—real professional female hockey players. "I can't wait to get out there and play professional hockey someday," said Abby Garvin, who celebrated her 11th birth- day with her Edina teammates that day. "It's so cool." As with NHL teams, a big part of ensuring success in the NWHL is getting the youth associations on board. "It's a huge part of our business model," explained Rylan. "We want to get our players MINNESOTANS SELECTED IN THE 2015 NWHL DRAFT Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights) Connecticut Whale Milica McMillen (St. Paul) Connecticut Whale MINNESOTANS IN THE NWHL Gigi Marvin (Warroad) Boston Pride Corrine Buie (Edina) Boston Pride Chelsea Laden (Lakeville) Connecticut Whale