The first month in Minnesota felt like skating on new ice—same motion, different grip.

Harper Grant stepped onto the Wild practice rink for the first time and felt the shift immediately. The boards were closer, the glass cleaner, the Zamboni exhaust sharper. Her new teammates welcomed her with nods and fist bumps—some former rivals now brothers—but the chemistry wasn’t instant. She was the outsider with the big name, the traded star who’d left Boston behind.

Coach pulled her aside ...