PWHL Minnesota’s starting goaltender talked reuniting with Lee Stecklein, the strong Minnesota connection on her team.

PWHL Minnesota selected Nicole Hensley 12th overall in the inaugural PWHL draft, making her the first goaltender off the board. Only four other players were officially on Minnesota's roster at the time of her selection.

First-overall pick and Lake City, Minnesota phenom Taylor Heise headlined the quartet, with Minnesota's three original signings rounding out the bunch. The trio of signees consisted of Kendall Coyne, Kelly Pannek, and one of Hensley's best friends, Lee Stecklein.

"She's nothing but trouble," Hensley joked about reuniting with Stecklein in Minnesota. "No, I'm just kidding—she's one of my best friends, so obviously I was super excited."

Years before they were teammates on PWHL Minnesota, the two were roommates. Hensley moved north to Minnesota in the fall of 2020 and lived with Stecklein, her Team USA teammate, for two years. Together, the duo have quite the on-ice resume.

"I think we have a pretty good understanding of each other," Hensley said. "I was definitely pretty excited when I found out I get to be on her team for at least a bit longer."

Among their accolades, Hensley, a two-time Olympian, and Stecklein thrice, both have a gold medal—Stecklein has two silver medals to Hensley's one. Both competed in the last three World Championships, with Hensley named the best goaltender in the 2022 tournament for her .930 save percentage through five games. In 2021, the IIHF Directorate named Stecklein the best defender of the tournament.

"She's [Stecklein] the best defensive defenseman in the world by far," Hensley said. "I think that...you can always feel really comfortable when she's on the ice."

Aside from Stecklein, Maddie Rooney is another familiar face for Hensley.

"We've been really good friends since probably 2017. I think it was probably the first time that we met," Hensley said. "We were roommates a ton at the beginning of our USA careers, which is how we got to be so close. Since I moved to Minnesota, we train day in and day out together on the ice so we're able to push each other, able to cheer each other on, and at the same time compete with each other."

Rooney played a massive role in the gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Olympics. The Minnesota native posted a .946 SV% through four games, including leading Team USA to victory in the gold medal game against Canada. Rooney also appeared in two games at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Now, she will serve as Hensley's backup for Minnesota.

"It's always great to have someone like that to compete with but also be off the ice with," Hensley said. "And having obviously someone that kind of understands what you're going through, and you understand what they're going through as we know each other pretty well."

Throughout the summer, Hensley, Rooney, and Heise would work together during their goalie sessions.

"I feel like if you can stop her [Heise] shot, you have a pretty good shot at stopping other people, too," Hensley said.

The Team and the City

PWHL Minnesota's roster represents the north-star-state remarkably well. Thirteen players hail from the State of Hockey, with 20 being American-born, most in the league.

"I think it makes it a little bit easier to connect off the ice to show people that aren't from here [Minnesota], you know, the places to go, the places to hang out," Hensley said.

On the ice, the team gelled, jumping out to a 3-0 record in the preseason. In Minnesota's first PWHL game, they defeated Boston 3-2—Hensley made 33 stops in the winning effort. Although, among the warranted excitement of the PWHL season starting, the feeling of community goes a long way in making out-of-state athletes feel at home.

While Hensley's go-to pregame spot has yet to be decided, given she has yet to play a home game, her team has taken a liking to a local burger joint.

"I think one of our favorite places to go is Red Cow—some of the best burgers in Minnesota," Hensley said. "We were actually there the other day. That's a pretty popular spot for us."

Connecting with Minnesota

The hockey community within Minnesota has responded about as perfectly as one could have asked with the state getting a PWHL team. Additional rows of tickets recently became available to meet the high demand as Minnesota's historic home opener approaches on Jan. 6 at Xcel Energy Center. Initially, only certain sections of the lower bowl were purchasable.

Minnesota will eclipse the attendance record for a professional women's hockey game—currently 8,318—which Ottawa set days ago during their home opener on Jan. 2. Ironically, hockey icon and PWHL Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin will be on the visiting team for both of these historic marks.

The numbers speak for themselves, and Hensley recognizes the response from fans.

"It's been really strong," Hensley said. "I think we've been up to a couple different events, or at least some of the team has, to just kind of raise awareness and be out there in the community—give a face to the team. I think taking those steps will be huge."

The promotional events and marketing within the state have helped residents give a face to the team.

"There's definitely been times where we've had people be like, 'Oh, you guys are the new hockey team—we can't wait!'"

Even Hensley's neighbors, who don't play hockey, are in the loop with the PWHL being in their backyard.

"Sometimes my neighbors send me, like, the season ticket promos and stuff," Hensley said. "They're like, 'Wait, that's you on the cover.’ So that’s been pretty cool.”