Minnesota holds No. 1 pick in PWHL draft, with homegrown U.S. national team forward Taylor Heise the likely choice
The newly launched Professional Women’s Hockey League is quickly taking shape. Hilary Knight is in her familiar stomping grounds of Boston, Marie-Philip Poulin is home in Quebec, and Kelly Pannek landed in her native Minnesota after becoming the league’s first player to sign a contract.
Minnesota holds the No. 1 selection, and there’s a growing buzz the franchise will pick the 23-year-old, who just completed a decorated college career with the Golden Gophers and grew up 75 miles from the Twin-Cities. The possibility of it being Heise makes sense given how Darwitz stayed close to home by filling her three, pre-draft free-agent spots. She signed two Minnesotans, Pannek and Lee Stecklein, and Kendall Coyne Schofield, who is from Chicago, and previously played in Minnesota.
The league is financially backed by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter, and includes former tennis star Billie Jean King on its board of directors, bringing what players hope to be much-needed long-term financial stability and vision to a sport that’s had difficulty gaining traction professionally.
Each team began forming the foundation of its roster by signing three players to six-figure, three-year contracts. The majority of the players signed had connections to their respective communities, with most national team players staying in their home countries. The only exception was Canadian defender Micah Zandee-Hart joining Team USA players Alex Carpenter and Abby Roque by signing in New York.
Pannek, the dependable two-way U.S. national team forward, jumped at the opportunity to become the first PWHL player to sign a contract, and do so with Minnesota. The 27-year-old is from Plymouth, Minnesota, won two national titles with the Golden Gophers and her agent, Brant Feldman, just happened to represent Darwitz.