2023–24 PWHL Minnesota season

The 2023–24 PWHL Minnesota season was the team's inaugural season as a member of the newly created Professional Women's Hockey League. They play their home games at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
== Offseason ==
On September 1, 2023, Minnesota hired Natalie Darwitz as its general manager. Minnesota then hired Charlie Burggraf as the team's first head coach on September 15. Jake Bobrowski and Mira Jalosuo were hired as assistant coaches on October 6. On September 25, The Hockey News reported that Minnesota would play their home games at Xcel Energy Center.
On September 6, Minnesota announced the signings of their first three players, American national team members Lee Stecklein, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Kelly Pannek. Coyne Schofield was named team captain, with Stecklein and Pannek named assistant captains.
On December 27, 2023—one week before Minnesota's season-opening game—the team announced that Burggraf was stepping down as the team's head coach, and would be replaced by Ken Klee.
==Standings==
==Schedule and results==
=== Regular season ===
Minnesota played its first ever game on January 3, 2024, in Lowell, Massachusetts, against Boston. Taylor Heise scored the franchise's first goal, and Minnesota went on to win the game by a score of 3–2. The team made its home debut on January 6. Grace Zumwinkle scored a hat-trick and Maddie Rooney posted a shutout in a 3–0 victory over Montreal. With 13,316 fans in attendance, the game set a new record for attendance at a professional women's hockey game.
=== Regular season schedule ===
The regular season schedule was published on November 30, 2023.
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 1 || January 3 || @ PWHL Boston || 3–2 || || Hensley || Tsongas Center || 4,012 || 1–0–0–0 || 3 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 2 || January 6 || PWHL Montreal || 3–0 || || Rooney || Xcel Energy Center || 13,316 || 2–0–0–0 || 6 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 3 || January 10 || PWHL Toronto || 3–1 || || Hensley || Xcel Energy Center || 4,707 || 3–0–0–0 || 9 || 
|- style="background:#fff;"
| 4 || January 14 || PWHL New York || 2–3 || OT || Rooney || Xcel Energy Center || 7,951 || 3–0–1–0 || 10 || 
|- style="background:#ccf;"
| 5 || January 17 || @ PWHL Ottawa || 3–2 || OT || Hensley || TD Place Arena || 5,609 || 3–1–1–0 || 12 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 6 || January 24 || PWHL Montreal || 1–2 || || Hensley || Xcel Energy Center || 5,001 || 3–1–1–1 || 12 || 
|- style="background:#fff;"
| 7 || January 27 || @ PWHL Boston || 3–4 || OT || Rooney || Tsongas Center || 4,059 || 3–1–2–1 || 13 || 
|- style="background:#ccf;"
| 8 || January 28 || @ PWHL New York || 2–1 || OT || Hensley|| Total Mortgage Arena || 2,393 || 3–2–2–1 || 15 || 
|-
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 9 || February 3 || @ PWHL Toronto || 1–4 || || Hensley || Mattamy Athletic Centre || 2,470 || 3–2–2–2 || 15 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 10 || February 14 || PWHL Ottawa || 2–1 || || Rooney || Xcel Energy Center || 6,276 || 4–2–2–2 || 18 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 11 || February 17 || @ PWHL Ottawa || 2–1 || || Hensley || TD Place Arena || 8,407 || 5–2–2–2 || 21 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 12 || February 18 || @ PWHL Montreal || 1–2 || || Rooney || Place Bell || 10,172 || 5–2–2–3 || 21 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 13 || February 25 || PWHL Boston || 0–2 || || Hensley || Xcel Energy Center || 10,186 || 5–2–2–4 || 21 || 
|- style="background:#fff;"
| 14 || February 27 || PWHL Toronto || 3–4 || OT || Hensley || 3M Arena at Mariucci || 2,718 || 5–2–3–4 || 22 || 
|-
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 15 || March 3 || @ PWHL New York || 2–0 || || Rooney || UBS Arena || 4,459 || 6–2–3–4 || 25 || 
|- style="background:#ccf;"
| 16 || March 5 || PWHL Ottawa || 4–3 || SO || Rooney || Xcel Energy Center || 4,585 || 6–3–3–4 || 27 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 17 || March 13 || PWHL Boston || 4–0 || || Hensley || Xcel Energy Center || 4,669 || 7–3–3–4 || 30 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 18 || March 16 || PWHL New York || 5–1 || || Rooney || Xcel Energy Center || 9,006 || 8–3–3–4 || 33 || 
|- style="background:#ccf;"
| 19 || March 24 || PWHL Montreal || 3–2 || SO || Hensley || Xcel Energy Center || 7,268 || 8–4–3–4 || 35 || 
|-
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 20 || April 18 || @ PWHL Montreal || 3–4 || || Rooney || Verdun Auditorium || 3,084 || 8–4–3–5 || 35 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 21 || April 20 || @ PWHL Ottawa || 0–4 || || Hensley || TD Place Arena || 8,110 || 8–4–3–6 || 35 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 22 || April 27 || PWHL Boston || 1–2 || || Hensley || Xcel Energy Center || 9,977 || 8–4–3–7 || 35 || 
|-
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 23 || May 1 || @ PWHL Toronto || 1–4 || || Rooney || Mattamy Athletic Centre || 2,571 || 8–4–3–8 || 35 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 24 || May 4 || @ PWHL New York || 2–5 || || Hensley || UBS Arena || 1,563 || 8–4–3–9 || 35 || 
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 
===Playoffs===
On May 6, 2024, Toronto elected to play Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 1 || May 8 || @ Toronto || 0–4 || || Hensley || Coca-Cola Coliseum || 8,473 || 0–1 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 2 || May 10 || @ Toronto || 0–2 || || Rooney || Coca-Cola Coliseum || 8,581 || 0–2 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 3 || May 13 || Toronto || 2–0 || || Rooney || Xcel Energy Center || 3,344 || 1–2 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 4 || May 15 || Toronto || 1–0 || 2OT || Rooney || Xcel Energy Center || 2,766 || 2–2 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 5 || May 17 || @ Toronto || 4–1 || || Rooney || Coca-Cola Coliseum || 8,501 || 3–2 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 1 || May 19 || @ Boston || 3–4 || || Rooney || Tsongas Center || 4,508 || 0–1 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 2 || May 21 || @ Boston || 3–0 || || Hensley || Tsongas Center || 4,543 || 1–1 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 3 || May 24 || Boston || 4–1 || || Hensley || Xcel Energy Center || 9,054 || 2–1 || 
|- style="background:#fcc;"
| 4 || May 26 || Boston || 0–1 || 2OT || Hensley || Xcel Energy Center || 13,104 || 2–2 || 
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| 5 || May 29 || @ Boston || 3–0 || || Hensley || Tsongas Center || 6,309 || 3–2 || 
==Player statistics==
===Skaters===
Regular season
Player 	 	 	 	 	 		
Grace Zumwinkle 	24	11	8 	19	98		4
Kendall Coyne Schofield	24	6 	10	16	79		6
Kelly Pannek 	24	4 	12	16	50		2
Taylor Heise 	19	4 	9 	13	52		8
Sophie Jaques 	15	2 	8 	10	59		4
Michela Cava 	24	5 	3 	8 	43		4
Lee Stecklein 	24	2 	6 	8 	35		16
Denisa Křížová 	24	3 	3 	6 	50		8
Natalie Buchbinder 	24	2 	4 	6 	28		0
Maggie Flaherty 	24	1 	5 	6 	33		14
Abby Boreen 	9 	4 	1 	5 	27		4
Sophia Kunin 	24	2 	1 	3 	32		6
Claire Butorac 	21	1 	2 	3 	12		2
Liz Schepers 	19	0 	3 	3 	28		8
Brittyn Fleming 	23	1 	1 	2 	26		8
Mellissa Channell 	24	0 	2 	2 	11		0
Brooke Bryant 	22	1 	0 	1 	9 		6
Sydney Brodt 	7 	0 	1 	1 	1 		2
Clair DeGeorge 	23	0 	1 	1 	14		6
Dominique Kremer 	12	0 	0 	0 	1 		0
Emma Greco 	22	0 	0 	0 	24		10
Playoffs
Player 	 	 	 	 	 		
Taylor Heise 	10	5	3	8	29		2
Michela Cava 	10	4	4	8	25		4
Sophie Jaques 	10	2	3	5	28		2
Liz Schepers 	10	1	4	5	15		2
Mellissa Channell 	10	0	5	5	12		2
Kendall Coyne Schofield	10	1	3	4	26		0
Claire Butorac 	10	1	2	3	9 		2
Lee Stecklein 	10	0	3	3	10		2
Denisa Křížová 	10	2	0	2	18		6
Sydney Brodt 	10	1	1	2	7 		0
Kelly Pannek 	10	0	2	2	20		0
Maggie Flaherty 	10	1	0	1	9 		2
Sophia Kunin 	10	1	0	1	14		2
Grace Zumwinkle 	10	1	0	1	26		0
Abby Boreen 	5 	0	1	1	8 		2
Brittyn Fleming 	9 	0	1	1	6 		2
Natalie Buchbinder 	10	0	1	1	16		2
Brooke Bryant 	6 	0	0	0	1 		0
Clair DeGeorge 	10	0	0	0	6 		4
Emma Greco 	10	0	0	0	6 		6
===Goaltenders===
Player 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Nicole Hensley	14	849:22	7	6	1	31	2.19	383	0.919	1	0	1	2
Maddie Rooney 	10	605:34	5	3	2	21	2.08	246	0.915	2	0	0	0
Player 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Nicole Hensley	5	338:29	3	1	1	6	1.06	109	0.945	2	0	0	0
Maddie Rooney 	5	322:12	3	2	0	6	1.12	116	0.948	2	0	0	0
==Awards and honors==
===Milestones===
Regular season
Player 	Milestone 	Reached
Taylor Heise 	1st goal in franchise history 	January 3, 2024
Taylor Heise 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 3, 2024
Taylor Heise 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Sophia Kunin 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 3, 2024
Sophia Kunin 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 3, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Mellissa Channell 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 3, 2024
Mellissa Channell 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Brittyn Fleming 	1st assist in franchise history 	January 3, 2024
Brittyn Fleming 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 3, 2024
Brittyn Fleming 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Nicole Hensley 	1st win in franchise history 	January 3, 2024
Nicole Hensley 	1st career PWHL win 	January 3, 2024
Nicole Hensley 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Brooke Bryant 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Natalie Buchbinder 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Michela Cava 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Abby Cook 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Kendall Coyne Schofield	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Clair DeGeorge 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Maggie Flaherty 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Emma Greco 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Dominique Kremer 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Denisa Křížová 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Kelly Pannek 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Liz Schepers 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Lee Stecklein 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Susanna Tapani 	1st career PWHL game 	January 3, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	1st career PWHL hat-trick 	January 6, 2024
Maddie Rooney 	1st career PWHL shutout 	January 6, 2024
Maddie Rooney 	1st career PWHL win 	January 6, 2024
Maddie Rooney 	1st career PWHL game 	January 6, 2024
Claire Butorac 	1st career PWHL game 	January 6, 2024
Lee Stecklein 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 10, 2024
Denisa Křížová 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 10, 2024
Taylor Heise 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 10, 2024
Lee Stecklein 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 14, 2024
Kelly Pannek 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 14, 2024
Michela Cava 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 14, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	1st career penalty shot 	January 14, 2024
Maddie Rooney 	1st career PWHL loss 	January 14, 2024
Susanna Tapani 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 17, 2024
Susanna Tapani 	1st career PWHL power-play goal 	January 17, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	5th career PWHL goal 	January 17, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	1st career PWHL short-handed goal	January 17, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 17, 2024
Michela Cava 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 24, 2024
Sophia Kunin 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 24, 2024
Abby Boreen 	1st career PWHL game 	January 24, 2024
Brittyn Fleming 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 27, 2024
Claire Butorac 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 27, 2024
Lee Stecklein 	5th career PWHL assist 	January 27, 2024
Abby Cook 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 28, 2024
Kendall Coyne Schofield	1st career PWHL assist 	January 28, 2024
Abby Boreen 	1st career PWHL goal 	January 28, 2024
Abby Boreen 	1st career PWHL overtime goal 	January 28, 2024
Nicole Hensley 	1st career PWHL assist 	January 28, 2024
Natalie Buchbinder 	1st career PWHL assist 	February 3, 2024
Abby Boreen 	1st career PWHL power-play goal 	February 14, 2024
Abby Boreen 	1st career PWHL assist 	February 14, 2024
Sophie Jaques 	1st career PWHL assist 	February 14, 2024
Maggie Flaherty 	1st career PWHL goal 	February 14, 2024
Maggie Flaherty 	1st career PWHL assist 	February 17, 2024
Sophie Jaques 	1st career PWHL goal 	February 27, 2024
Natalie Buchbinder 	1st career PWHL goal 	February 27, 2024
Denisa Křižová 	1st career PWHL goal 	March 5, 2024
Kendall Coyne Schofield	5th career PWHL assist 	March 5, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	5th career PWHL assist 	March 5, 2024
Kendall Coyne Schofield	5th career PWHL goal 	March 13, 2024
Kelly Pannek 	10th career PWHL assist 	March 13, 2024
Taylor Heise 	5th career PWHL assist 	March 13, 2024
Nicole Hensley 	1st career PWHL shutout 	March 13, 2024
Claire Butorac 	1st career PWHL goal 	March 16, 2024
Sydney Brodt 	1st career PWHL assist 	March 16, 2024
Sydney Brodt 	1st career PWHL game 	March 16, 2024
Clair DeGeorge 	1st career PWHL assist 	March 24, 2024
Sophie Jaques 	5th career PWHL assist 	March 24, 2024
Grace Zumwinkle 	10th career PWHL goal 	April 18, 2024
Brooke Bryant 	1st career PWHL goal 	April 18, 2024
Kendall Coyne Schofield	10th career PWHL assist 	April 27, 2024
Michela Cava 	5th career PWHL goal 	May 1, 2024
Maggie Flaherty 	5th career PWHL assist 	May 1, 2024
===Honors===
* January 1–7: Grace Zumwinkle named PWHL First Star of the Week
* January 8–14: Taylor Heise named PWHL Third Star of the Week
* February 12–18: Kendall Coyne Schofield named PWHL Third Star of the Week
* February 26 – March 3: Sophie Jaques named PWHL Second Star of the Week
* March 11–17: Kendall Coyne Schofield and Michela Cava named PWHL First and Second Stars of the Week
==Transactions==
Minnesota has been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 PWHL season.
=== Signings ===
Date 	Player 	Position	Term 	Previous Team 	Ref
September 6, 2023	Kelly Pannek 	F 	3 years	Team Scotiabank 	
September 6, 2023	Kendall Coyne Schofield	F 	3 years	Team Adidas 	
September 6, 2023	Lee Stecklein 	D 	3 years	Team Harvey's 	
October 26, 2023 	Taylor Heise 	F 	3 years	Minnesota 	
October 31, 2023 	Nicole Hensley 	G 	3 years	Team Sonnet 	
November 1, 2023 	Grace Zumwinkle 	F 	3 years	Minnesota 	
November 8, 2023 	Susanna Tapani 	F 	2 years	KRS Vanke Rays 	
November 20, 2023	Maggie Flaherty 	D 	2 years	Minnesota Duluth 	
November 27, 2023	Natalie Buchbinder 	D 	2 years	Wisconsin 	
November 29, 2023	Brooke Bryant 	F 	1 year 	Minnesota State 	
November 29, 2023	Sydney Brodt 	F 	1 year 	Minnesota Whitecaps	
November 30, 2023	Liz Schepers 	F 	1 year 	Minnesota Whitecaps	
November 30, 2023	Claire Butorac 	F 	1 year 	Minnesota State 	
December 1, 2023 	Sophia Kunin 	F 	1 year 	Team Harvey's 	
December 1, 2023 	Brittyn Fleming 	F 	1 year 	Minnesota Whitecaps	
December 1, 2023 	Denisa Křížová 	F 	2 years	Minnesota Whitecaps	
December 7, 2023 	Clair DeGeorge 	F 	1 year 	Team Harvey's 	
December 7, 2023 	Michela Cava 	F 	1 year 	Toronto Six 	
December 19, 2023	Amanda Leveille 	G 	1 year 	Minnesota Whitecaps	
December 19, 2023	Maddie Rooney 	G 	2 years	Team Adidas 	
December 20, 2023	Dominique Kremer 	D 	1 year 	Buffalo Beauts 	
December 20, 2023	Abby Cook 	D 	1 year 	HC Ladies Lugano 	
December 21, 2023	Emma Greco 	D 	1 year 	Toronto Six 	
December 21, 2023	Mellissa Channell 	D 	1 year 	Team Harvey's 	
===Trades===
Date	Details 	Details 	Ref
 	To BostonSusanna TapaniAbby Cook	To MinnesotaSophie Jaques	
==References==
===Recaps===
==External links==
* 
Category:PWHL Minnesota
PWHL