University of Minnesota Athletics
Junior Forward Whitney Graft
1/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Junior forward Whitney Graft has quietly become one of Minnesota’s most dynamic and reliable weapons and is a poster-child for this team’s hardworking, group-first attitude. As a freshman, she fought every day for playing time and frequently found herself on the bench. In her sophomore season, Graft was the fifth-leading scorer on a Gopher squad that made it to the championship game in the WCHA and the NCAA Frozen Four. Entering this season as a first-time upperclassman, Graft has been a statistical standout on offense and a leader on one of the nation’s top penalty-kill units. Graft sees her increased production as a natural progression through one of the nation’s top hockey programs.
“I didn’t really change my off-season preparation and my workout routines stayed the same,” Graft said. “I think the biggest things that have helped out so far are my confidence level and my mental awareness knowing that I could be an impact player in this system."
Graft’s performance this year and during the 2005-06 campaign would lead you to believe she was expected to be a major part of Gopher women’s hockey coming out of high school, but that was not the case. Graft had scholarship offers out of high school, but was only a recruited walk-on by the Gophers. Despite the financial security and guaranteed stardom at a lower-profile school, Graft chose to wear the Maroon and Gold. The road to Ridder Arena was long and hard for Graft and involved many tough decisions, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Minnesota has always been a dynasty and they bring in players that are at such a high level, plus it was close to home and I could be by my family,” Graft explained. “It was tough to pass up a full scholarship and I knew it was going to be hard, but I wanted to stay close to home and the U has such a strong program.”
Coincidentally, two of Graft’s high school coaches had hockey careers at the University of Minnesota, but Graft maintains that the decision to wear the ‘M’ was her own.
“It wasn’t really a factor in my decision but they both really supported me and it was helpful knowing that they both had great experiences at Minnesota.”
A product of Wayzata high school, Graft was a four-year standout in hockey, softball and tennis. A three-time all-conference selection and top-ten finalist for the 2004 Ms. Hockey award, Graft lead the Trojans to a 21-4-1 overall record with a perfect 11-0-0 conference mark her senior season while notching a team-high twenty-five assists. For an athlete who is used to being in a leadership position, Graft admits that she would occasionally feel lost as a freshman but knows that watching and learning from the upperclassmen helped her become the type of player she knew she was capable of being.
“The upperclassmen my freshman year were really something special and I was able to take so much from them. I guess the biggest thing I was able to take was working hard and understanding how to handle different situations in the game. A couple of them, for example, were never scared about playing Duluth. They were always so excited and prepared for the game. They understood that playing tough opponents is the fun part of hockey.”
Graft has taken what she learned as a freshman and put it to practice, becoming a force on both ends of the ice. Minnesota’s steadfast forward has totaled 10 points on four goals and six assists through nine games this year, which is good for second on the team. Three of those points (1 goal, 2 assists) came this past weekend during a crucial series sweep over the in-state rival Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth. Graft’s regular contributions to the box score are enjoyed by her coaches, but it’s her attitude and approach to being a teammate that leave them gushing.
“She started off as more of a role player and she had a great attitude with that,” assistant coach Laura Slominski said. “I think that one of her best qualities is that she takes whatever role she’s in seriously and with a lot of pride. Whether we need her to be a leader or a goal scorer, she does whatever she is asked to do.”
While her boosted scoring totals are a significant part of the team’s offensive output, her confidence and execution on the penalty kill, which has been a life-line for this year’s team, has been outstanding. Graft explained her individual contribution and showed how the penalty kill squad truly exemplifies a team effort.
“I think just being able to read a play and anticipate a pass is a big part of it,” she said. “We all work really hard, move as a unit and have good communication on the ice.”
Graft, who was a member of the 2004-05 national championship team, hopes to help this capable Gopher squad funnel its talent and potential toward a deep postseason run.
“Looking at the big picture, we want to keep the Gopher legacy going,” said Graft. “Our team knows that we have a lot of talent but we need to keep working hard and realize that nothing will be handed to us. We need to stay strong as a unit and keep playing well.”
Amidst the uncertainty of her freshman year and her progress over the last two, Graft has become a perfect example of what makes Minnesota athletics great: A humble, hard-nosed walk-on who chose to pass on scholarships for the chance to play with the best—and she stands by that decision.
“Looking back, I’m so glad about coming here. All my experiences each year have been different, and some were tougher than others, but I wouldn’t change any of them for the world,” Graft reflected. “I like how things weren’t necessarily given to me and that I really had to work for them. It’s just a blessing to be a part of this program and I’m glad that I was even a recruited walk-on—most people don’t even get that chance.”
Story by Matt Schroeder
