UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- As Penn State women's hockey gets through the first few weeks of its 2019-20 regular season, head coach Jeff Kampersal knows that he now has four players with international experience with which he can rely on for both leadership and on-ice experience.
For Kampersal, forwards Natalie Heising (Wayzata, Minn.) and Rachel Weiss (Calgary, Alb.), as well as defenders Jess Adolfsson (Linkoping, Sweden) and Mallory Uihlein (Edina, Minn.) all enter the season with international experience after representing their countries in the 2019 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.
In addition, Heising was invited to her second straight USA Hockey Women's National Festival and Adolfsson was named to the senior Swedish national roster for the World Championships in Espoo, Finland. Both events took place this past offseason.
All four players were able to take something away from the experience and bring it back to Hockey Valley. Weiss, in her first year with the Nittany Lions, enjoyed the level of competition that she was able to face as a member of Team Canada.
"I think being able to play against other top women around the world was really cool," Weiss said. "Seeing how everyone pushes each other to another level, it brings the competition to a new level."
"I remember Team Russia was really physical, so we had to take some of that into our own game and dish it back a little back. Otherwise, you just get pummeled."
She also enjoyed the diversity of playing for a different team and learning the dynamics of how different coaches employ their methods of success on the ice.
"Being exposed to so many systems by playing for Team Canada, that sort of helps because learning new systems is easier to grasp," Weiss said. "Little habits are also a big emphasis, so I sort of have those ingrained into me."
Uihlein, another newcomer to the program for the 2019-20 season, saw the tournament as a great challenge prior to her arrival at Penn State, and learned to improve her speed as she prepared for hockey at the collegiate level.
"It was cool how I got to see different styles of play," Uihlein said. "Obviously, it was fun being challenged playing against the top women in the world for different countries."
"Every team was pretty quick, so we definitely tried to match speed and be faster than them."
Learning to play in a new system can be tough at first, and Uihlein took the concept of playing in a new system for Team USA and applying to the learning curve of playing college hockey and learning Kampersal's system.
"I think learning to go with the flow is important," she said. "Being with my home team, you learn how everyone plays and that translates here as you try to learn to play with new players."
Heising, a junior who has been through this process, praised both Uihlein and Weiss' abilities to get up to speed on what the Penn State brand of hockey should look like, as well as the adjustment to the collegiate level as a whole.
"I think the transition from any level to college hockey is an adjustment, but both Mallory and Rachel have done a great job," Heising said.
"I think for Mallory, her decision and play-making have been beneficial for our team, she is able to get her shots through and find success with that. With Rachel, she's such a strong, fast forward that she can help our forwards get going."
After playing for Sweden, Adolfsson had a different perspective on what being part of an international team means to her, with a larger emphasis on team unity for most European teams.
"It's a privilege," Adolfsson said. "So, when you play with your national team, obviously you have a chip on your shoulder being proud to play for your country."
"At the same time, when you're on that stage, you're playing the best in the world. It's a great way of measuring where you are and playing for your country is such a great way to see where you're at."
As for the on-ice adjustment, Adolfsson contended that you have to be ready to adjust on the fly.
"It takes time to adjust, but it's about being as mentally fit as you are physically," she said. "You just have to adapt, get your outlook, and make plays."
Adolfsson's adaptive mentality is something that definitely stood out to Heising, as both continue to try and make the team better every day.
"Jess is so knowledgeable, just the way she carries herself is at a high level and really respected among our team," Heising said. "The way she takes care of her body, prepares mentally and physically, just everything she does is geared towards making our team better."
Heising's view is one echoed by Kampersal, who noted this past week Adolfsson's maturity and ability to make on-ice reads.
"Jess is incredibly mature," Kampersal said. "I have a lot of respect for what she's done, she literally came right in last summer and she just totally adapted to a brand-new situation. In her first year, she definitely continued to get better as the year went on and she's put in a lot of hard work in her time here."
Meanwhile for Heising, she noted the quicker speed of play and hockey IQ as she faced international competition both against domestic players and across the international circuit.
"The speed of play is the biggest thing," Heising said. "Every player there during camp is pushed both mentally and physically, but it can be a ton of fun. I definitely try to come back and push the pace with our team here as well."
"I would say overall the players are really smart. You always have to be thinking one step ahead. If you're not thinking about the next play, it's probably already gone."
Heising also agreed with Weiss's earlier assessment of the knowledge that playing in different systems under different coaches can help with.
"It gives you experience with different dynamics and teams, and with really high-level players," Heising said.
"So, getting to learn from them and the high levels they've played at, they're so knowledgeable so it was a week for me to soak that up. And I really enjoy doing that, because I can help our team be the best it can, based on what I've learned from how they organize their teams."
Kampersal expects the international experience to continue for Penn State, and with Heising specifically, knows that his players can continue to develop into great leaders in the locker room and on the ice.
"Natalie is a vocal leader for sure and a culture driver," Kampersal said. "I know she expects her teammates to work hard as well, she definitely takes the incoming freshmen and brings them along with the concepts we're trying to install."
Whether it is a returning junior in Heising, sophomore in Adolfsson, or the two freshmen, the international experience will only be a good thing for the Nittany Lions. They have trained with some of the best in the world at their level, and that only can raise the standards in Happy Valley.
