Taylor Wenczkowski is the only player (to date) to have played in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) who was born in New Hampshire. She spent all of her hockey career in New Hampshire and Boston. She has cemented herself in Boston women’s hockey and has taken a step back to coach and uplift the next wave of trailblazers on the collegiate level for Princeton University’s Women’s ice hockey team.
GROWING UP IN NH/JWHL
Wenczkowski was born in Rochester, New Hampshire. She grew up playing boys hockey in New Hampshire up until her sophomore year of high school, due to the limited options in girls hockey. She said that there has been a substantial growth over the last ten years. She grew up just twenty minutes away from the University of New Hampshire and started attending their games when she was eight years old. She looked up to UNH alumni Sam Faber and Kacey Bellamy. Over time, she fell in love with the school and the hockey program. In her final season at UNH, she was named captain, and as she described it, it was a dream come true.
PHF
Wenczkowski played for the Boston Pride of the PHF/NWHL and won two championships with them. “My first year was really unique as it was the bubble season, but it was really special to be a part of a growing and improving league that allowed me to live out a childhood dream of playing professional hockey.” The back-to-back Isobel Cup champion scored the game-winning goals in both years and cemented herself in Boston Pride history.
PWHL
Wenczkowski only spent one year with the Boston Fleet (known as PWHL Boston at the time), but she was a cherished member and was honored to be a part of the inaugural season. “It’s special to see how many people came out to support us and to see the growth of all of women’s sports.” In her final season playing professional hockey, she scored two goals in eight games during the playoffs for the Fleet.
COACHING/AFTER PLAYING
The chapter on playing professional hockey may have ended for Wenczkowski, but her coaching career has taken off! After her first year with PWHL Boston, she got offered an opportunity to coach at Princeton University. She started to coach during college, her first role was a head coach internship for a U16 team. She started her company, “TW Hockey Academy,” where she runs camps and clinics from the age of four until the collegiate level. “It’s so rewarding to teach the game of hockey and help others achieve their goals.”
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE AND A MESSAGE TO YOUNG PLAYERS
“I hope to see women’s hockey at the pro level continue to sell out NHL arenas and eventually have all the teams playing in front of 20,000 fans every single game…”
“For younger players, my advice is, you need to enjoy the game and have fun. If you’re putting too much pressure on yourself to succeed, it may hinder your performance. There’s no point in sacrificing yourself and so much time if you aren’t absolutely loving what you do.”
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