Goaltender Nicole Hensley packed up her belongings this past weekend and began the drive from her home in Minnesota to Las Vegas, Nevada. Next week, she’ll begin training camp with PWHL Las Vegas ahead of the franchise’s inaugural season.
The Ice Garden spoke with Hensley recently as she prepared to head west, discussing a busy offseason, prep for Vegas and the season ahead, and what she’s looking forward to most about playing with a brand-new professional women’s hockey franchise.
Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
The Ice Garden: Let’s start by taking me through the offseason. Obviously, it’s been a busy few months for you.
Nicole Hensley: Obviously, getting knocked out of the playoffs earlier than we would have liked was not the end of the season we would’ve hoped for. It kind of was a whirlwind after that, just going straight into the expansion teams and the whole system that was made to get those teams filled out. A lot of it was just trying to understand the steps and all that.
I had good conversations with a couple teams, and liked what Vegas building and was excited about Kim [Weiss]. It took a lot of thinking, a lot of talking to people I trust… to make the choice. From there, it’s just been fun to watch the team fill out. I’m excited for our roster going into training camp.
It was kind of a long summer. I started lifting what feels like ages ago, and then getting back on the ice and everything. It felt like two summers in one, almost, with having a lot of time to see family and friends and get some vacations in, and then get down to the work the last three or four months or so.
TIG: This year, the PWHL season doesn’t start until early December. Does that affect your timeline for training at all?
Hensley: It’s definitely an adjustment. For a long time, you go to college in August, so it feels like you’re gearing up for that when you’re younger and then going to August camp. Even after that, it’s like you always have to be ready for August. It’s really difficult to get that out of your head. You’ve got more time than that, which is kind of nice. It allows for a nice, long runway as you get older. It’s not like you have to go straight into skating four times a week, or whatever the player chooses. It allows a nice, long runway to get back into things and take care of your body. It is a little bit weird. It’s some mental gymnastics to get used to, for sure, but it could be worse.
TIG: What does it mean for you to have this chance to set the stage with a brand new franchise like this?
Hensley: I think it’s really exciting. I’m very proud of what we were able to build with the Minnesota Frost the last three years and the great organization it’s become. Honestly, I just want to do the same thing in Las Vegas. We’ve got a lot of players coming from Minnesota and Montreal that both have been very strong programs the first three years of this league. I feel like we have a good foundation and what it takes to be successful in this league. I think that’s going to be a good start for us.
TIG: Have you spent any time in Vegas and what do you know about the hockey community there and the fans?
Hensley: I’m kind of learning as we go. I’ve been to Vegas a couple times, but never in a hockey capacity. Kind of a fun fact, my high school goalie partner was from Las Vegas, and she still lives there now. She went to Colgate, played Division I there. Her name is Brittany Brooks. Now, she’s back there goalie coaching and coaching a girls’ team. She was pretty excited that I was going to end up there. It’s a cool connection, to know someone that’s got boots on the ground out there.
It’s pretty exciting. I think Maddie Rooney and I are going to look to have our goalie camp out there this summer. We’re figuring out the details and logistics of that. I think one thing that we do really well on the women’s side is, we go into a new environment and we want to work from the ground up to build a strong foundation. I think you’ll see that with how integrated everyone is in the community.
TIG: Are you excited to see the PWHL expanding its western footprint?
Hensley: It’s definitely cool to see the league expanding west. I think growing up in Colorado, at the time, it was definitely considered a non-traditional hockey market. I’ve watched the game grow so much there since I was a kid. There was one girls’ [hockey] association when I was kind, and now there’s a lot of options for girls, whether they want to play with boys or they want to play with girls, traveling, competitive or more recreationally. There’s just so many options. The league can only further those options. Colorado’s been a strong destination for Takeover Tour games. Hopefully, one day they’ll get a team, too. To expand west, I think, is huge for the league.
TIG: You’re currently the only goaltender under contract with PWHL Las Vegas heading into training camp. What are you looking forward to with regards to watch[ing] the competition between the other goalies at camp for those final two roster spots?
Hensley: I think we’ve got a really good group coming into camp. I’ve been skating with Lauren Bench a lot this summer, since she’s from Minnesota. Obviously, I played with her year one with the Frost. I think she’s had a great summer, so I know she’ll be ready to come into camp.
[Saskia Maurer]’s got some big plans the next two weeks [at Women’s Worlds]. I’m hoping for her to do really well in Denmark. I talked to her a little bit over the summer, and I’m getting to know Logan [Angers] as well. It’s going to be a good little group. I think you’re just going to see a group of four goalies that want to uplift each other, no matter what. It’s the most unique position, where you’re always competing with those people, but at the same time, the best thing you can do is support each other. I feel like that’s how the group will roll for the first couple weeks.
