HERMANTOWN, Minn. — At only a 16-years-old, Proctor/Hermantown forward Hannah Graves already has plenty of successes on her hockey resume.
In 2020-21, the Mirage went undefeated their entire season to win the Class A state title with a perfect 21-0 record.
This past year in 2021-22, the team made it back to the state tournament and earned a runner-up finish after losing to rival Warroad in the title match.
Hannah Graves played a key role in her team's success over the past few years.
As only a freshman, Graves was tied for fifth on the team in points scored (31), and was third this past season as a sophomore (28).
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"I can see the ice well, I'm a player that can go into corners and I like being able to battle and come out with the puck," says the forward on her strengths as a skater.
Graves made the varsity roster in eighth grade, where she appeared in 23 games for the Mirage. She still has two more seasons of high school hockey before heading off to college and playing Division I, which she recently announced will be at Bemidji State.
🚨🚨 COMMITTED!! 🚨🚨
— PH Mirage Hockey (@PHMirage) November 1, 2022
Our #6 Hannah Graves has committed to play D1 at Bemidji State University!! Congratulations, Hannah!! We are so proud of you and look forward to watching you continue your career!! 🦫
Let’s go, Beavers!! 💚🤍#GoBeavers #BeaverTerritory pic.twitter.com/lWfra6ixgN
"The first day there were lots of calls and I was nervous since I had never done anything like that before," said the Hermantown native on the college recruiting process.
Although choosing a Division I program to commit to was a bit stressful, Graves said that "everything fell into place" with Bemidji State.
"Their coaches were the biggest aspect of my commitment, they were so amazing and awesome," said Graves. "The players were so nice when I was there and when I visited I already felt like I was a part of the team."
The 5-foot-9 forward will be with plenty of familiar company once she gets to college, as current teammate Izy Fairchild also recently committed to play for the Beavers. Graves and Fairchild also know current BSU players Ella Anick and Alyssa Watkins , who are Mirage alumni.
Born in Duluth, Graves grew up very familiar with the sport of hockey.
"My cousin played, my brother played, my uncles, my dad — everyone played. I tried basically all sports like hockey, soccer, dance, anything you can imagine, but hockey was the only one that I was really good at, so I just stuck with it."
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Graves is heading into her junior season of high school hockey and feels good about the year ahead.
"I feel as if we're going to be just as strong — if not stronger — than last year. I think we'll be able to get back to that championship game and take it home this year," she said.
When she's not out competing on the ice, Graves enjoys taking a break from hockey to prevent burn-out, so she recently joined her school's tennis team a couple of years ago where she competes in the fall.
