PWHL Minnesota activates forward Taylor Heise from long-term injured reserve

Good news for a team trying to recapture its early-season magic.

On Sunday, PWHL Minnesota announced it is activating forward Taylor Heise to the main roster, and will be in the lineup on Sunday afternoon against New York.

The team also has released goaltender Lauren Bench from her Standard Player Agreement, and is back on the team’s reserve list.

The 23-year-old was placed on long-term injured reserve with what was suspected to be upper-body injury earlier this month. Heise looked to have hurt her shoulder in Game 7 of the Rivalry Series against Canada, in which the Americans lost 6-1, effectively dropping the series to their northern neighbors.

Heise burst out of the gate in the inaugural season, and was a preseason Rookie of the Year candidate. The no. 1 overall pick in the first PWHL Draft scored three goals in the first three games of the season, helping Minnesota get off to a 4-0-1-0 start. However, even before the last window of the Rivalry Series, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher started to cool off, and has just three goals and three assists in nine games thus far.

Heise has missed the team’s last five games, with Minnesota going 2-0-1-2 over that span. Their 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto last Tuesday was the first time since Jan. 27 that Minnesota has scored more than two goals in a game.

The former Gopher captain came into the pro ranks with an already decorated career, winning gold with Team USA at last year’s IIHF Women’s World Championships, earning MVP honors in the 2022 tournament. Heise is also a three-time IIHF Women’s Under-18 gold medalist, helping the Americans win it all in three straight years from 2016 to 2018.

Minnesota (5-2-3-4) comes into Sunday third in the league standings, five points back of Montreal for first.