photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
The pace of change in women’s hockey is spectacular. On and off the ice, the past decade has brought huge strides in professionalism and expanded the international boundaries of the game.
And, for players who have been part of that jet-propelled journey, it’s an exciting ride – and one that promises to go much further in the near future.
That’s certainly Taylor Heise’s take. In 2015/16 she made her IIHF debut with USA U18s, winning the first of three gold medals at that level. Since then, she’s hoovered up individual and team awards and comes to Ceske Budejovice looking to add to three Women’s World Championship medals (one gold, two silver).
But, as befits a relentless competitor on the ice, the 25-year-old Minnesota native is equally determined to maintain the fast pace of progress across the women’s game.
“We’re never going to be stagnant,” she said. “We’re never just going to be content with where we’re at.
“I can see where things are going and I’m excited to be a part of it. We have such amazing role models, whether that be staff or players.”
Those role models include the women who blazed the trail for fair compensation for players and drove the creation of the PWHL. By the time Heise was ending her U18 career and heading for college in 2018, the CWHL was entering its final season and the landscape for potential pro players after graduation was uncertain.
And the 2022 Patty Kazmaier award winner has nothing but praise for the women – including her current USA team-mates – who turned that around.
“It’s awesome to have people like Hilary [Knight] and Kendall [Coyne], all these girls on our team who put in countless hours, countless sleepless nights as players,” she said. “They did all that to make sure we’re getting what we deserve, they worked so hard to get [women’s hockey] to where we are.
“It’s not hard for my generation to follow the best because we have them right there alongside us.”
But it’s bigger than the heroes of American women’s hockey. Heise is excited by the commitment and dedication shown by her colleagues around the world – whether that’s Spain’s first NCAA Division I player or Latvian veteran Aija Balode, representing her country in Division IB this week at the age of 50. “I’m 25, only halfway there, and that’s just insane,” she said. “I give full props to everyone who is continuing to play and push those boundaries.”
At the other end of the scale, the latest crop of young talent emerging onto the world stage is steadily reshaping expectations of women’s hockey. And few are making greater progress than USA team-mate Leila Edwards as she transitions from forward to defence at the highest level.
USA head coach John Wroblewski has suggested that Edwards could redefine how we understand defence in women’s hockey, comparing the Wisconsin University star to Viktor Hedman. And Heise is thrilled to be on the same team.
“I love Laila, she brings something that not everyone can,” she said. “I don’t think people realise just how hard it is to make that change at such a high level. You can go from centre to wing, which I’ve done, but forward to defence is a whole different box to check.
“But she has that youthfulness, her play is so free, you can tell she doesn’t have that stress. Players like that ensure that women’s hockey keeps evolving. She’s young, she has ages to go and if she continues to push to be the best, she’s going to get there.
“This generation of women’s talent is insane. Being a part of it, feeling that our names are going into the history books as a group, that’s something I’m really looking forward to.”
And, for players who have been part of that jet-propelled journey, it’s an exciting ride – and one that promises to go much further in the near future.
That’s certainly Taylor Heise’s take. In 2015/16 she made her IIHF debut with USA U18s, winning the first of three gold medals at that level. Since then, she’s hoovered up individual and team awards and comes to Ceske Budejovice looking to add to three Women’s World Championship medals (one gold, two silver).
But, as befits a relentless competitor on the ice, the 25-year-old Minnesota native is equally determined to maintain the fast pace of progress across the women’s game.
“We’re never going to be stagnant,” she said. “We’re never just going to be content with where we’re at.
“I can see where things are going and I’m excited to be a part of it. We have such amazing role models, whether that be staff or players.”
Those role models include the women who blazed the trail for fair compensation for players and drove the creation of the PWHL. By the time Heise was ending her U18 career and heading for college in 2018, the CWHL was entering its final season and the landscape for potential pro players after graduation was uncertain.
And the 2022 Patty Kazmaier award winner has nothing but praise for the women – including her current USA team-mates – who turned that around.
“It’s awesome to have people like Hilary [Knight] and Kendall [Coyne], all these girls on our team who put in countless hours, countless sleepless nights as players,” she said. “They did all that to make sure we’re getting what we deserve, they worked so hard to get [women’s hockey] to where we are.
“It’s not hard for my generation to follow the best because we have them right there alongside us.”
But it’s bigger than the heroes of American women’s hockey. Heise is excited by the commitment and dedication shown by her colleagues around the world – whether that’s Spain’s first NCAA Division I player or Latvian veteran Aija Balode, representing her country in Division IB this week at the age of 50. “I’m 25, only halfway there, and that’s just insane,” she said. “I give full props to everyone who is continuing to play and push those boundaries.”
At the other end of the scale, the latest crop of young talent emerging onto the world stage is steadily reshaping expectations of women’s hockey. And few are making greater progress than USA team-mate Leila Edwards as she transitions from forward to defence at the highest level.
USA head coach John Wroblewski has suggested that Edwards could redefine how we understand defence in women’s hockey, comparing the Wisconsin University star to Viktor Hedman. And Heise is thrilled to be on the same team.
“I love Laila, she brings something that not everyone can,” she said. “I don’t think people realise just how hard it is to make that change at such a high level. You can go from centre to wing, which I’ve done, but forward to defence is a whole different box to check.
“But she has that youthfulness, her play is so free, you can tell she doesn’t have that stress. Players like that ensure that women’s hockey keeps evolving. She’s young, she has ages to go and if she continues to push to be the best, she’s going to get there.
“This generation of women’s talent is insane. Being a part of it, feeling that our names are going into the history books as a group, that’s something I’m really looking forward to.”