When Kelly Pannek got a call in September 2023 to join PWHL Minnesota, everything was finally falling into place.
The launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League had been announced just a few days earlier, and the first puck was set to drop in four months. There were six franchises (Minnesota, Boston, Montreal, New York, Ottawa and Toronto) but no team nicknames. No other players had signed on yet. Minnesota didn’t even have a coach. But Pannek did not hesitate to become the first player to officially ink a contract with the league. This is what she and hundreds of other women’s hockey players had been working toward for years. “It felt like a no-brainer,” Pannek says. “Minnesota’s been a huge part of my life. It’s where I’m from, and it’s where I’ve grown up. Then to continue my professional career in Minnesota—that’s something I never was able to dream of.”
