PWHL Minnesota places forward Taylor Heise on long-term injured reserve

One of the best young players in the game is going to be on the shelf longer than expected.

On Sunday, PWHL Minnesota announced they are placing forward Taylor Heise on long-term injured reserve with what is suspected to be an upper-body injury.

The team also revealed they are signing forward Abby Boreen to a 10-day Standard Player Agreement.

Heise has not played since the IIHF break, as the former Minnesota Golden Gopher appeared to have injured her shoulder in Game 7 of the Rivalry Series against Canada. Heise left the game early, while managed to clinch the series with a 6-1 win.

Heise was an early candidate for Rookie of the Year, as the No. 1 overall pick burst out of the gates with three goals in the first three games of the season. However, like the rest of Minnesota, she cooled off as the schedule turned into February. In nine games, she has scored three goals and three assists, tied for third on Minnesota in scoring with captain Kendall Coyne Schofield.

This is the second time Boreen has been signed to a short-term contract with Minnesota. The 23-year-old has played twice so far in Heise’s absence. She notched her best game in the PWHL on Feb. 14, scoring a goal and assisting on Maggie Flaherty’s game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Ottawa. Boreen has two goals and an assist in five games.

Boreen and Heise were teammates with the Gophers for the last five seasons.

With Heise’s LTIR ending on March 2, she could be eligible to return to the lineup for Minnesota’s game on March 3 against New York.

A 10-day contract for Boreen shows that she is just filling a spot until Heise’s potential return.

Minnesota (5-2-2-3) is set to host Boston on Sunday afternoon in St. Paul. They are currently second in the league standings, three points back of Montreal.