In the 2021 National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) draft, the Minnesota Whitecaps selected former Minnesota Golden Gopher Taylor Wente with the 18th overall pick.

Wente was a regular force to be reckoned with on the ice for the Gophers, playing in every single game her freshman year on the team (38 games) and ranking second on the team with a +20 plus/minus rating. A senior in the shortened 2020-21 season, Wente played in all 20 games for Minnesota without injury.

Wente allocated 73 total points (29 goals and 44 assists) while playing for the Maroon and Gold. As a center she had an impressive face-off resume, winning 51.9% in over 2,100 draws.

Wente is the 11th Gopher to be selected in the NWHL draft’s short history (est. 2015). The most recent Gophers drafted were Patti Marshall and Alex Woken by the Whitecaps in the 2020 draft. Woken was selected with the fifth overall pick, while Marshall was picked at 11.

“Taylor is a great person and player,” Head Coach Brad Frost said. “It’s a great honor to be drafted.”

Off the ice, Wente finished as a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and WCHA All-Academic honoree. She graduated in May with a degree in Business and Marketing Education.

Despite her success with the Gophers, with highlight-reel moments like her performance against Wisconsin in 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff championship, Wente said via Twitter Thursday night that she would not be lacing up for the Whitecaps next season.

Responding to a tweet from the NWHL’s account (and several others) announcing her selection, Wente tweeted “I’m honored to be selected by @mnwhitecaps. I have decided to continue my professional career as Sales Development Representative @arcticwolf.”