Taylor Heise has been a household name in American hockey for years.
The current Frost center won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as college hockey’s best player while at the University of Minnesota in 2022, later that year was named MVP of the IIHF World Championships and then was the first overall selection in the inaugural PWHL draft.
Heise has helped the Frost win each of the first two PWHL titles. Dating back to her high school days in Red Wing, Heise even claimed Ms. Hockey honors.
Minnesota Frost forward Taylor Heise (27) and Toronto Sceptres forward Daryl Watts (9) watch the puck fly past them in the first period of a PWHL game at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
But there is still one thing Heise has yet to do on the ice — play for Team USA in the Winter Olympics.
“Just the experience of being there would be legit,” Heise said. “I’ve watched the Olympics every year I can ever remember, I think, since I was like 6. Just watching, not caring what the sport was, just that there was USA on their emblem. It’s just special.”
The PWHL will be on a nearly month-long hiatus from Jan. 29-Feb. 25 to allow its players to participate in the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Heise was one of the last Team USA cuts prior to the Beijing Games in 2022.
While she remained stateside, her longtime teammate and roommate with the Frost and Gophers, Grace Zumwinkle, made the team that won a silver medal.
It was a tough time in their relationship, but it never caused a rift between the duo. Their bond on and off the ice has become unbreakable, no matter what’s thrown at them.
“I think she’s grown a ton from overcoming adversity, and I think coming short in 2022 was obviously a huge disappointment for her,” Zumwinkle said. “I think it’s a huge testament that we’ve both had to overcome injuries or adversity, and I think it’s always through those times you can see who you can rely on and trust.”
Some time after the Olympics in 2022, Zumwinkle wanted to create a more fun culture for the Gophers away from the ice and established “Team Fun.” Heise immediately joined her roommate’s new venture as a way to help balance out life when things weren’t going her way on the ice.
Heise said Zumwinkle “is someone that brings my energy up. And sometimes when I’m not feeling it, she always brings it up and always has a positive attitude.”
The tandem of Heise and Zumwinkle has kept ‘Team Fun’ going with the Frost, most recently following a TikTok trend calling their teammates to say ‘Good night’. A video of them making these calls was posted to the Frost’s social media channels on Thursday, showcasing how Team Fun brings the team together.
“I think you saw a variety of reactions and responses, but I think that what makes it fun and it’s always those memories that you remember more than highlight reel goals,” Zumwinkle said. “Yeah, it’s cool, but it’s those things that help with the chemistry you build off the ice.”
Frost coach Ken Klee said Heise and Zumwinkle are “fun personalities” and “great kids.”
“They come to the rink every day with a smile on their face,” Klee said. “Obviously, they’re talented players. They’re good teammates, good people, they like funny stuff, and kind of keep their teammates with their smiles, as well.”
Team Fun has also been a helpful balance for Heise as she continues to build on her dreams of making the Olympic roster and winning a third straight Walter Cup with the Frost. It can sometimes be challenging for athletes to find an equilibrium between the PWHL season and preparation for the Olympics, but Heise says the mentorship she’s received from Klee and John Wroblewski, head coach of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team, helped strike that balance.
“It’s really stressful when the Olympics come. It’s once every four years, so competing for that, it’s where my mind is at all the time,” Heise said. “And I think when I’m here, I try to push that out. Just understand that when I’m here, I want to get better for over there, and when I’m there, I want to be getting better for this team.”
Barring any injuries, Heise is all but a guarantee to be on the Team USA roster — which will be finalized Jan. 5 — for the Olympics this February.
Team USA will practice with those on the preliminary roster who are present for the International Rival series this week. They will not practice again until the finalized roster is in Italy for the Olympics.
If and when the time comes, it will be a rewarding outcome for Heise to accomplish a dream she’s been chasing since she was six years old.
Of course, the real satisfaction will come if Team USA manages to bring home gold.
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