Disappointment in any form can be heartbreaking. It can be so painful that for many, it can mean the end of the road for a lifelong dream. However, U.S. women’s hockey player Taylor Heise refused to let it be hers. For the 5-foot-10 forward, the disappointment of not making the 2022 Olympic team was only a temporary roadblock that fueled her fire to succeed. 

“I think just being honest and looking inward at myself and saying, ‘OK, someone didn't want me, how am I going to make sure the next time around, that's just not the case,’” Heise said.

The case was closed on New Year's Eve. That was the unforgettable day Heise got the congratulatory call from the Director of Women's National Team programs, Katie Million — she had made the 2026 Olympic team.

A few days later on Jan. 2, No. 27 was publicly named to the official roster for the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

Four years post-disappointment, Heise can officially call herself an Olympian.

"One bad thing is not going to put you down; it's going to build you up if you do it the right way. And I think that's what's happened to me," Heise said.

On Feb. 5, Heise will step onto the ice at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena to compete on the first day of the women's hockey tournament. When the puck drops between Team USA and Czechia, the Olympic dream finally will be realized for the 25-year-old Minnesotan.

"I think I bring an energy and youthfulness. I'm doing my work all the time. I expect greatness out of myself. I expect greatness out of my teammates," Heise said.

The desire to achieve greatness is nothing new for the two-time PWHL Walter Cup champion. It quite literally has been a permanent fixture in her development as a person and hockey player. 

In a black Sharpie, Heise inscribed the word "OLYMPICS" on her bedroom wall as a teenager, just above the light switch as a constant reminder of her ultimate goal.

“I can see it in my mind. I switched the light on and off in my room so many times,” Heise told NBC Sports in 2023.

It's no longer just a dream she sees as she opens and closes her eyes, it's as real as the Olympic ice now beneath her skates.

Heise has been a member of the U.S. women's hockey program since 2015. Wearing the Stars and Stripes, she's won two world championships and has earned two silver medals. 

While Heise was a skilled player before the Beijing Olympics, being left off the roster turned up the heat on her play and made her the force she is today. In fact, she's often said NOT making the 2022 Olympic roster for Team USA was the best thing that ever happened to her, no matter how awful it felt in the moment.

"Not making that team kind of made me realize, like, I had to add a few more things to my game. I can't be mad that someone made it and I didn't based on their ability," Heise said.

Hard work and support from friends, family and teammates helped her turn the tides and dust herself off.

"You don't get through hard things alone. When my best friend, Grace Zumwinkle, made that last Olympic team, and I didn't, there were no hard feelings for me. She deserved to be there. I supported her all the way through it, and it's the same thing now," Heise said.

She said it was an important lesson for her to learn that different players bring different things to the table but they want each other to succeed.

"It's not all about you, it's about other people. And understanding when you find that group of people that loves you and supports you, it makes your job really easy," Heise said.

With disappointment in the rearview mirror, Heise has turned the page and her focus now is on the Olympic team on which she plays a major role.

"I'm going to push the pace. I want to make everyone around me ... I want to make their jobs easier. I want to make sure that I'm out there doing everything for my team in whatever role I'm needed," Heise said.

Heise led the squad in points during Team USA's sweep of Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series. Known for her unselfish play, she tallied eight assists and one goal during the tournament.

Like many of her teammates, she called the rivalry with neighboring Canada "one for the ages" and acknowledged it's difficult to understand unless you're on the ice.

"It's intense. It's personal. Whether I play with these people or play against them, they're some of the best. It's what gets you up in the morning. The 6 a.m. in the middle of June, like, what? What gets you up to go do that? Realizing that you're going to play a game against Canada in the middle of October, November, and you got to be ready to go," Heise said.

Heise's PWHL Minnesota Frost teammate and four-time Olympian, Kendall Coyne Schofield, previously said, “a gold medal and gold medal only” is the expectation for Team USA.

As Heise lives out her Olympic dream, the focus is on doing the work, just as it always has been.

"It's just going out there and playing hockey. We're all made to do that. We do this every day. Bringing your best is what the expectation is," Heise said.

The heated rivalry takes center ice on Feb. 10 when the U.S. and Canada face off in women's Group A competition.

All Olympic hockey games will be streamed live on NBC and Peacock. 

*NBC Sports' Nick Zaccardi and Mary Omatiga contributed to this article.