Having devoted much of her childhood and teenage years to her single-minded intention of becoming an elite hockey player, had little time to stop and consider there being more to life than skates, sticks and pucks.
It wasn鈥檛 until Harvey was sidelined by a left knee injury early into her sophomore season at Wisconsin when the realization flickered.
鈥淚t taught me how to have more balance,鈥� Harvey said of the time she missed rehabbing an injured medial patellofemoral ligament in the fall of 2023.
Rather than review film to dissect her performance as she would do most nights, Harvey learned to turn off her phone. She got into yoga, started doing breathing exercises, took up cooking and even thrifting. Just as important was Harvey watching from the stands to gain perspective and find her voice in providing feedback to teammates during and after games.
鈥淚 am grateful for it now looking back, and as much as it sucked,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t did teach me a lot about myself that I didn鈥檛 know before. And it helped me mature a lot.鈥�
At 23, Harvey already is one of the most accomplished players in women’s hockey. She is coming off a senior season in which and was named college hockey鈥檚 MVP. Internationally, she was the Olympic tournament鈥檚 MVP while at the Milan Cortina Games in February.
Top prospect in deep PWHL draft class
Next up is turning pro. Harvey leads what鈥檚 regarded as and is projected to go first in the draft in Detroit on Wednesday.
Vancouver holds the No. 1 pick, followed by Seattle. The four expansion teams were slotted pick Nos. 3-6.
Las Vegas has two first-round selections following a . Las Vegas landed Detroit’s pick at No. 3 and has been awarded the No. 5 selection. The deal will be official once the PWHL’s trade deadline lifts Tuesday.
The bumper crop of prospects features five U.S. Olympic teammates, including Wisconsin鈥檚 Laila Edwards and Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy, plus several European Olympians.
There’s no doubt in U.S. coach John Wroblewski’s mind about who deserves to go first.
鈥淭he accolades that she鈥檚 racked up before she鈥檚 even graduated college is unprecedented,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a no-brainer.鈥�
Harvey is a strong and gifted skater who is rarely out of position defensively and a deft playmaker. With two goals and seven assists in seven games, she had nine points at the Olympics to tie for the tournament lead. And she completed her college career with 54 goals and 201 points in 147 games, including consecutive 60-point seasons.
鈥淪he is the most beautiful, fastest skater I鈥檝e ever seen,鈥� said U.S. teammate and , who also believes Harvey will be chosen first. 鈥淛ust unbelievable. She鈥檚 such a great player, and I cannot wait to see her in the pro league.鈥�
Harvey is from Pelham, New Hampshire, and got into hockey as a youngster after attending her older brother鈥檚 practices. Her father would rent out rink time and the two would make the half-hour drive to North Andover, Massachusetts, for individual sessions. By high school, Harvey moved to Rochester, New York, to attend the BK Selects hockey academy.
Harvey delayed her first college season to make her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games.
The U.S. settled for silver in a tournament that proved to be a disappointment for Harvey. She was held without a point and after losing the faith of former coach Joel Johannson.
In replacing Johannson, Wroblewski identified Harvey鈥檚 abilities and immediately began building her confidence by encouraging her to play without fear.
Gaining confidence under Wroblewski
In the four years since, Wroblewski has watched a once shy and soft-spoken Harvey grow into an assertive player and person.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e just getting a glimpse of what that looks like in her maturation process,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t just so happens that this young woman is supremely gifted with athleticism and electricity and everything that goes into being a superstar hockey player. And it all meets up with the fact that she loves what she鈥檚 doing and destined to be here,鈥� Wroblewski added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a rare quality that you find in superstar athletes. And (she鈥檚) got the je ne sais quoi.鈥�
Harvey has become more comfortable talking about herself, even though she declines to guess when she鈥檒l be drafted.
鈥淭hey can鈥檛 honestly go wrong with who they pick because this draft class is just so deep,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 just going to be grateful that night if I hear my name called.鈥�
It鈥檚 not a matter of if.
Harvey can reflect on the long hours she鈥檚 put in on the ice, in weight rooms and playing far away from home to appreciate what she has so far accomplished.
鈥淚t鈥檚 being satisfied in a sense of like, yes, you can look back at the accomplishments, but you just always want more,鈥� Harvey said, no different from how she’s approached perfecting her game. 鈥淧art of it’s I don’t want to look back and be like, 鈥極h, I could have done better.鈥� I don’t want to ever underachieve.鈥�
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