Kelly Pannek. Photos: Chris Emeott
Three area players light up the roster of Minnesota’s professional women’s hockey team.
It’s not for nothing that Minnesota is often called the State of Hockey. So when the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) launched its first-ever season in 2023–24, it was no surprise that the Minnesota franchise team had not only a passel of native Minnesotans on its roster, but also three players from the area. Kelly Pannek, Liz Schepers and Grace Zumwinkle all say that playing on a Minnesota pro team—after having grown up immersed in the state’s hockey culture—is a dream come true. “Pride is the word that comes to mind,” Zumwinkle says. “We’re so appreciative of the fans, and it makes every game that much more special. Playing in front of the State of Hockey is so special, especially with a lot of players having ties to the state.”
Professional women’s hockey has had an up-and-down history in the state, with various teams and leagues formed and disbanded over the years. The PWHL formerly launched in August 2023 with six franchises around the country, including Minnesota, and dropped the puck for the first game in January. PWHL Minnesota (now called Minnesota Frost) ended its inaugural season with a bang, winning the first-ever Walter Cup championship and, along with it, a whole bunch of new fans. “The team provided some memorable games from the start,” says Glen Andresen, PWHL Minnesota Frost director of business operations. “Our primary focus was making sure our players had the opportunity and environment to showcase their talents—and they certainly did that.”
Pannek had several years of post-grad hockey under her belt when she was signed as one of the team’s free-agent picks in summer 2023. (She made the national team in 2017 and was a part of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association upon graduating college in 2019. She was drafted for the National Women’s Hockey League in 2019 but never played in it.)
“It ended up working out where Minnesota was the right fit for me,” Pannek says. “I think we surpassed expectations last season with the quality of our play.” She notes how significant it’s been for the team to play at the Xcel Energy Center—home of the state’s NHL team, the Minnesota Wild. “We were the only [PWHL] team in year one have our full-time home at an NHL arena,” Pannek says. “When little girls show up to those games, they can say, ‘This is where professional women’s hockey players should be playing.’ It just feels natural.”
Like many women’s sports, pro hockey seems to be at a pivotal point for visibility and game attendance. In addition to the young girls—perhaps aspiring PWHL players—who show up in the stands in droves, decked out in enthusiasm, there are older women, too, who didn’t have the opportunity to pursue an athletic career and can now cheer on the next generations. “They come up to me and say it’s so awesome,” Pannek says. “It’s been so deserved for so long. They would have loved to be part of this.” She goes on to say, “We’re lucky enough to play at a time when I think the world is ready for it. It doesn’t go without acknowledging all the people who fought for the right for women to play whatever sport they wanted to.”
Position: Center
Hometown: Plymouth
High School: Benilde–St. Margaret’s
College: University of Minnesota
If I didn’t play hockey, I’d play: “I was a big soccer player growing up, but I don’t know how my joints would handle it now. I’d say golf.”
Sports Heroes: “Serena Williams and my own teammates.”
Fave Game Day Food: “Buttered noodles with a little bit of salt and pepper and chicken. I’m a creature of habit.”
Future Goals: “I think I’ll always want to be part of hockey, whether that’s coaching or scouting or something else.”
What to Know: Pannek played on the U.S. women’s national hockey team at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics and was involved with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, a nonprofit that was founded during a period of uncertainty in women’s pro hockey (after the dissolution of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League) and advocates for the sport and its players.
Schepers and Zumwinkle were picked by PWHL Minnesota in the summer 2023 draft, and both say it’s been an honor to play on this trailblazing team. “Hopefully, we’re laying the foundation for what this league can become and what female hockey players can aspire to be,” Schepers says. They’re each finding their niches on the roster and in the locker room, too. “I push myself, so I can help my team be successful and be a player my teammates can trust,” she says.
Liz Schepers
Position: Forward
Hometown: Mound
High School: Mound Westonka High School
College: The Ohio State University
Sports Heroes: “Simone Biles is my favorite athlete. I look up to her, obviously, because of how dominant she is but also because of her advocacy for mental health and athlete well-being.”
Fave Game Day Food: “Usually, I go for Goldfish crackers, dried fruit and an electrolyte drink [as a snack].”
Future Goals: “It’s hard to imagine my life without hockey, so I’ve considered careers in the sport. My plan in undergrad was to be a physical therapist, so that’s something I’m still very passionate about, too.”
What to Know: Schepers says a highlight of her hockey career was playing in the state high school tournament as both an eighth-grader and a high school senior. “It’s something every Minnesotan dreams of.”
Zumwinkle notes that the excitement for this upcoming season is palpable. “We’ve seen what’s attainable in the first season,” she says. “It makes you that much more hungry coming into the next season. I think trying to win another championship will obviously be a goal. At the end of the season, winning the final game is always a goal for everyone.”
Grace Zumwinkle
Position: Forward
Hometown: Excelsior
High School: Breck School
College: University of Minnesota
If I didn’t play hockey, I’d play: “Tennis, golf or pickleball.”
Sports Heroes: “My parents and my sisters. They’ve instilled those values of family, hard work and resiliency.”
Fav Game Day Food: “I try to stick with carbs, fruits and vegetables. I do have to have some Wiley Wallaby red licorice though before each game.”
Future Goals: “I would love to play in the 2026 Olympics. Outside of hockey some day, I see myself working in corporate America like my mom and sister do. Sometimes, I do joke though that I should become a pro golfer.”
What to Know: Zumwinkle grew up playing hockey with her sisters Anna and Emily. “Growing up being able to play with both of my sisters are some of my most cherished hockey memories. It’s very rare to be able to play with your siblings and something I will never take for granted. We come from a very competitive family, and no matter if its hockey, board games or pickleball, we all always want to win.”
Excelsior’s Grace Zumwinkle has her eyes set on Minnesota’s sophomore season with the Minnesota Frost. Photo: Alex D’Addese/PWHL
And while winning is, ultimately, the end goal, a valuable lesson is to move on quickly from the losses, Pannek says, when asked about her advice for young hockey players. “The season is long,” she says. “If you get hung up on bad games, you’ll tumble into the next if you don’t move past it.”
As the team settles into its second season this winter, leadership is working to build connections with youth and high school programs around the state. “Those programs are the lifeblood of the sport here,” Andresen says. “Little girls in Minnetonka or Red Wing can look at a PWHL player and say, ‘She wore the same jersey when she was my age that I’m wearing now. And someday, I’m going to wear the same jersey she’s wearing now.’”
For more information and a 2025 season schedule, visit minnesota.thepwhl.com.
Instagram: @pwhl_frost
X: @PWHL_Minnesota
