Women's Hockey
2026 Olympic
Hockey
Laila Edwards has broken a barrier that had stood since women's hockey debuted at the Olympics in 1998. Leila Devlin / Getty Images
MILAN — Laila Edwards has become the first Black woman to play for the United States at an Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament.
Edwards is one of the best young players in women’s hockey and, after hitting the ice on Thursday, has broken a barrier that had stood for nearly three decades since women’s hockey debuted at the Olympics in 1998.
Advertisement
“It means a lot,” she said after the game. “I take a lot of pride in it. And I’m just going to embrace it because representation matters, no matter how uncomfortable it can be. It’s for the next generation.”
Edwards made her national team debut back in November 2023, and said she has gotten more comfortable talking about representation and being a role model at just 22 years old.
“I could not do interviews or not talk about it, but then it doesn’t get out there,” she said. “And maybe a little girl doesn’t see (somebody) who looks like her and that’s what’s important.”
Edwards is playing defense for Team USA in Milan after spending most of her career at the forward position — a decision made by Edwards and the U.S. staff.
“This is the No. 1 thing that I want, to be on this team,” Edwards told The Athletic at last year’s women’s world championships. “Whether that means I’m forward, D or even goalie, I’m all in.”
Edwards still largely plays forward at the University of Wisconsin, where she has scored 1.71 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NCAA. Last season, she led the nation in scoring, won a national championship, and was a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the best player in women’s college hockey.
At 6-foot-1, Edwards brings a unique blend of size and skill to the women’s game. She’s an excellent playmaker with an effective shot. In her first international tournament with Team USA, at the 2024 women’s world championships in Utica, Edwards scored a tournament-leading six goals on just 10 shots and became the youngest player to win MVP at 20 years old.
Edwards grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, the second youngest of four children. Her father, Robert, played hockey recreationally, and, with his wife, Charone, got all their kids on the ice at local open skates.
There have been other trailblazers in women’s hockey, such as Canadians Angela James, the first Black woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and Sarah Nurse, who became the first Black woman to win an ice hockey gold medal at the 2022 Olympics. Julie Chu was the first Asian American to play for Team USA at the Olympics in 2002. And Abby Roque became the first Indigenous woman to represent Team USA at the Olympics in 2022.
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today's puzzle
Hailey Salvian is a staff writer for The Athletic covering women’s hockey and the NHL. Previously, she covered the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators and served as a general assignment reporter. Follow Hailey on Twitter @hailey_salvian
Hockey News