There’s no disputing that Taylor Otremba comes from hockey royalty. After captaining Minnesota State in her final season, she’s ready to chart her own professional success.
There’s no disputing that Taylor Otremba comes from hockey royalty. After captaining Minnesota State in her final season, she’s ready to chart her own professional success.
Otremba grew up playing on a pond outside her home in Lakeville, Minn. with her brother and friends. Her grandfather, Dean Blais’, hall of fame legacy inspired her to pick up the sport and keep at it. Before his retirement, she would attend his games at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
“I want to be like [my brother]. I want to be like my grandpa,” she said. “Hockey has always really been a part of my life.”
She landed at Minnesota State University because she knew the WCHA would challenge her and she could still be close to family.
“It's nice being [so] close to home that my family can come and watch the games,” she said. “It was competitive. I liked the campus, and the girls seemed super welcoming”
It was always her dream to play professionally, although that changed from the NHL to a european league to eventually the PWHL, when it was launched in her sophomore year of college.
“It's crazy how much it has grown and to see the attendance and the support for the league is like so beautiful,” Otremba said, “and I love that that's happening. I would love to be a part of that.”
She has been a reliable offensive presence for the Mavericks in her four years, consistently putting up over 20 points each season. She’s also made an impact on the penalty kill and power play, and prides herself on being a 200-foot player who can tackle the high-intensity moments.
“I compete hard and I play with a lot of poise,” Otremba said. “I think I make the players around me better too.”
In her senior season, she captained one of the youngest teams in the league, with 10 freshmen. She wanted to create a culture where players “felt connected and welcomed, but also pushed.”
The message was simple: she wanted the team to “know that they can do hard things and we can get better and we can beat these hard teams.”
She ended up leading the team to the WCHA semi-finals, where the season came to an end against the University of Wisconsin. She ended her senior season with seven goals and 16 assists.
If selected in the upcoming PWHL draft, Otremba would be the ninth Maverick to join the PWHL, joining Abbey Levy, Anna Wilgren, Claire Butorac, Sydney Langseth, and Brooke Bryant. She’s watched and learned from their experiences in the league in hopes that she’ll join them soon.
“It's interesting to see their perspective and seeing them grow and seeing them love where they are and talking with them,” she said. “It's nice to hear what they see. It makes it more exciting for me.”