Imagine spending your entire life playing hockey at the highest possible level, and never needing to leave home. 

Taylor Heise stepped onto the stage at TCS Live Minnesota in 2025 and told a story she has lived with every stride. But her journey didn’t begin with perfect conditions. She grew up in Minnesota loving hockey even though she didn’t have everything she needed to play, and even though basketball had a strong pull in her family. She still showed up for that U8 tryout. That simple choice shaped everything that followed.

See all of the photos used in Heise's presentation here.

She talked about the power of playing for your hometown club and how it gives young athletes something deeper than structure. It gives them friends. It gives them family. It gives them roots. Those were the things she valued most. She didn’t want to leave home, and she trusted that the people around her would give her the best chance at becoming who she wanted to be.

Her high-school years in southern Minnesota offered a mix of challenges. Some teams were stronger. Some weren’t. That range forced her to push her creativity and build the attacking instincts she leans on today as a professional. Variety shaped her. Freedom shaped her. The game taught her how to make plays in every environment.

Hockey is something I do, it's not who I am. 

As she continued, it was impossible not to feel how connected she is to the state she represents. Heise considers herself blessed to be from Minnesota, and her relationship with the University of Minnesota is something she treasures. She spent five years with the Gophers. She explored other schools and programs along the way, and she cared deeply about culture and the people she would surround herself with. There are excellent opportunities everywhere, but playing for the Gophers was a childhood dream fulfilled.

Her national-team journey is another chapter she shared with honesty. She wrote “Team USA” on her nightstand as a kid because she believed in setting clear intentions. Making that team was something she chased with purpose, and earning her spot meant everything. In 2022 she tried out for the Olympic team and didn’t feel she played her best. She was cut for the first time. The experience could have cracked her confidence, but she pointed to her teammates and her support system as the reason she came out stronger. She plans to try again for the 2026 Olympics.

A detail that stood out was how proud she is of where she comes from. Seventeen of the twenty-two players on the American national team were from Minnesota. The state has become her primary source of strength and support, and she carries that identity with pride every time she steps on the ice.

She closed with a message that resonated. You don’t have to do everything. You just have to do the right thing. For Heise, those right things were choosing community, embracing challenge, trusting her roots, and believing in goals big enough to chase for years.

Coaches’ Challenge: Think about the players in your environment. How can you help them focus not on doing everything, but on doing the right things that build identity, confidence, and purpose?

Take a look at Heise's life in pictures here.

Noteworthy timestamps:

• 0:00 From the beginning
• 5:00 Decision time
• 6:20 University of Minnesota
• 8:40 Coaching impact
• 9:20 Pro hockey in Minnesota
• 11:25 USA Hockey
• 13:55 Giving back