For Linser – who played hockey at Centennial HS and UM-Duluth – it was an incredible snapshot in time.
“I was just so excited and I was getting a little teary-eyed because this is what I worked for,” Linser said. “Just to hear my name called I was ecstatic.”
Linser has been laser-focused on trying to play pro hockey since she was a young girl.
“Getting to the pros, that’s another level and it’s about commitment,” said Circle Pines Mayor Dave Bartholomay. “Ever since she moved here as a kindergartner she’s wanted to play professional hockey. That’s been a singular goal of hers.”
Linser starred at Centennial where the Cougars finished second in the Minnesota girls state tournament.
“Actually my senior year we went to the state tournament and got to play at the Xcel Energy Center,” Linser said. “That was an unreal experience.”
From there, Linser skated for UM-Duluth and had an outstanding career with the Bulldogs.
“It was a lot of fun,” Linser said. “We competed in three national tournaments and a championship title game so that was really awesome.”
Skating in Sweden
Last season Linser played in Sweden where she continued to blossom on the ice.
“It was fun,” Linser said. “It was good. It was nice because I knew some of the girls there already and it was just great to continue to be able to play hockey. But I’m very excited to be staying in North America this year.”
“We saw her as a youth hockey player, all through high school,” Bartholomay said. “Went to a lot of her games. Went to a lot of her games in Duluth. Janice, my wife and I would drive up to Duluth to watch her games, and then we even went over to Sweden last year. Never been to Scandinavia or anything so we went to Sweden to watch her.”
The chance to play in the PWHL is the next step in her hockey career – which so far has been a successful journey.
“It’s amazing hockey,” said Sue Linser, Anneke’s mom. “It’ll be great to be coached by some of the Canadian National Team coaches and staff and just to experience something. I always think it’s really great to be outside your comfort zone and outside your community and to get to know who you are and to get to know other perspectives.”
For the second straight year, Linser will be playing outside of the US, this time in Canada.
“She’s a hard worker,” Bartholomay said. “Wonderful gal. Being drafted by Toronto is wonderful. Toronto is a big, beautiful city. It’s gonna be exciting.”
“I’m super excited to get up there and enjoy a new city and meet some new people and be coached by a new staff,” Linser said.
“It’s very surreal”
Bartholomay is a huge fan of Linser the hockey player and Linser the person.
“She’s a wonderful person at a bunch of levels so this is just the – I’m not going to say the ending – but it certainly is the top of the mountain she’s been climbing for a long time…” Bartholomay said. “Anneke worked her tail off to get to where she’s at. It wasn’t I wish I could, it was make it happen. In the meantime she’s already got an engineering degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.”
Sue Linser is still trying to process everything that’s happened.
“It’s very surreal,” Sue Linser said.
A total of 13 players from UMD have been selected by PWHL teams in the first two drafts – including Gabbie Hughes who was Linser’s teammate with the Bulldogs and at Centennial.
