Professional Women’s Hockey Player (PWHL) for the Minnesota Frost | 2-time winner of the Walter Cup | Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist

Hometown: Red Wing, Minnesota
College: University of Minnesota
Current Team: PWHL Minnesota
Position: Forward

Taylor Heise is one of the brightest stars in women’s hockey today. A native of Red Wing, Minnesota, Taylor turned heads early in her career with a dominant high school performance that earned her national recognition, including USA Today’s Player of the Year and Minnesota’s Ms. Hockey Award.

She carried that momentum into college, becoming a standout for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Over five seasons, she developed into one of the top players in the NCAA, leading the nation in scoring during her senior year (2021–22) with 66 points. That season, she earned numerous honors, including Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, and the Patty Kazmaier Award—given to the top player in women’s college hockey. She repeated as a First-Team All-American the following season and finished her college career as one of the most decorated players in Gopher history!

In 2023, Taylor was selected first overall in the inaugural PWHL Draft by Minnesota and quickly made her mark in the pro league. She scored her first goal in the league’s debut game and went on to lead her team in playoff scoring, helping Minnesota capture the inaugural Walter Cup. She was named the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP.

On the international stage, Taylor has represented Team USA with distinction. She’s a three-time gold medalist at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U18 World Championships and was named MVP of the 2018 tournament. In 2022, she led all scorers at the IIHF Women’s World Championship and was named both Best Forward and Tournament MVP, helping the U.S. take home silver.

Taylor Heise continues to raise the bar in every phase of her career—bringing elite skill, leadership, and a relentless drive to the ice.

Collegiate Women’s Basketball Guard for the Mankato Mavericks | 2-time NSIC All Conference First team | 2025 WBCA All American Honorable Mention

High School Career

Natalie was a five-time varsity letterwinner and earned All-Conference honors four times. She was named Hiawatha Valley League (HVL) Player of the Year twice and received Class AA All-State recognition in two seasons. In 2022, she was selected to participate in the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association (MGBCA) All-Star Game and earned Academic All-State honors in 2021–2022.

During her senior year, she became Lake City High School’s all-time leading scorer—across both boys’ and girls’ programs—amassing 2,495 career points, along with 618 rebounds, 368 assists, and 450 steals. She also recorded a single-season scoring high of 697 points. Natalie helped lead her team to three HVL Conference Championships and was part of the 2021 State Tournament and 2021–2022 Section Runner-Up teams.

In addition to basketball, she competed in volleyball and track and field, finishing third in the 200-meter dash at the Minnesota State Track Meet.

2022–2023 Collegiate Season

Natalie appeared in all 31 games for Minnesota State, including one start. She tied for second on the team in free throws made (73) and averaged 14.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, shooting 47.7% from the field. She posted a season-high 30 points against the University of Mary. Her performance earned her two NSIC South Division Player of the Week honors and a spot on the All-NSIC Second Team.

2023–2024 Collegiate Season

Natalie was the only player to start all 37 games for the Mavericks. She averaged 15.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. She led the team in free throws made (119) with an 84.4% free throw percentage and ranked second on the team with 95 steals.

She scored in double figures in 32 games, including 10 games with 20 or more points and a season-high 29 points against Cal State San Marcos in the NCAA Final Four. She also recorded a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) in the NCAA Tournament Second Round against Fort Hays State.

Her accolades included:

• All-NSIC First Team
• NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Team (14.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 42.4 FG%)
• NSIC All-Academic Team
• CSC Academic All-District Team
• NCAA Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player (23.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.6 SPG, 50.9 FG%)

She led the Mavericks in scoring in both the NCAA Final Four and Championship games and became the 26th player in Minnesota State history to join the 1,000-Point Club.

2024–2025 Collegiate Season

In her junior season, Natalie started 32 games and averaged 20.0 points per game on 48.4% shooting from the field, 40.0% from three-point range, and 80.1% from the free throw line. She also contributed 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.

She scored a total of 641 points—marking the fourth-highest single-season scoring total in program history and the highest since the 1980–81 season. She led the Mavericks in field goals made, three-pointers made, free throws made, steals, and minutes played, and ranked second in rebounds.

Additional highlights included:

• 29 games with 15+ points
• 17 games with 20+ points
• Two games with 30+ points
• Career-high 32 points and 10 rebounds vs. Augustana (one of three double-doubles)
• Reached fourth all-time in Minnesota State scoring history (1,673 career points)

Honors received:

• Two-time NSIC Player of the Week
• All-NSIC First Team (second consecutive year)
• NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence
• D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team
• WBCA All-American Honorable Mention
• CSC Academic All-District Team

She finished the season ranked third in the NSIC in points per game, total points, and field goals made; second in steals and steals per game; and fourth in field goal percentage.