Knee injury slows Minnesota Frost star Taylor Heise, but not for long

Taylor Heise says she’s not a patient woman, and “everyone in my life knows it.”

When she was a standout for Red Wing’s varsity hockey team at just 12 years old, she didn’t have to be patient.

When the former Gopher was picked No. 1 overall in the first-ever PWHL draft last year, she didn’t have wait for her name to be called with bated breath.

But the patience of the Minnesota Frost forward and reigning PWHL playoff MVP has been tested in 2024, especially early in the Frost’s Walter Cup title defense — one point behind league-leading Montreal through six games, ahead of hosting Boston on Thursday.

But Heise’s ready for the challenge.

Before the season, the 24-year-old Lake City native picked up a right knee injury practicing for the United States’ November games against Canada. She swapped the red, white and blue for a red no-contact jersey at Frost preseason camp, where she skated with a brace, maybe at “70 percent” of her ceiling, she said.

“Anytime you start the year injured, it’s hard,” coach Ken Klee said. “We know that her best hockey is still in front of her … It’s exciting for us to be in a good spot where we’re at and still have not had the best version of Taylor Heise.”

It’s not an unfamiliar situation for Heise. The Patty Kazmaier winner, who also had double-hip surgery in college, dealt with a separated shoulder that sidelined her for February of her rookie season.