It has been nearly 30 years since women’s ice hockey made its debut in the Winter Olympics. In 2026, Laila Edwards became the first Black woman to represent the U.S. national ice hockey team.
Edwards was born on Jan. 5, 2004, in Cleveland Height, Ohio, to Robert and Charone Gray-Edwards. She has an older sister and brother as well as a younger brother.
Edwards began skating at an early age; however, ice hockey was not her first sport. She did figure skating until she was five years old before she and her siblings were put into the Cleveland Heights Youth Hockey Program.
“I wasn’t big on the tutus and leotards. I was more of a tomboy. Hockey just fit me better,” Edwards said in an interview with 11 Alive.
In the eighth grade, Edwards left Ohio and moved to New York to attend the elite girls’ hockey program at Bishop Kearney High School. However, competing in a predominantly white sport has never been easy for a person of color. Edwards is no exception, as she faced discrimination and bullying.
“Walking into a rink and hearing someone tell me the basketball court’s that way — those moments taught me lessons,” Edwards said to 11 Alive.
Despite her struggles, Edwards persisted and went on to play hockey at the collegiate level. In 2022, she began attending the University of Wisconsin (UW) alongside her sister, who was also committed to play hockey. Edwards is in her senior year and is getting her Bachelors of Social Work.
During her time at UW, Edwards has secured two national championships. In 2023, her sophomore year, she scored 21 goals and 56 points in 41 games. This and her presence at the Olympics are expected to make her a top draft pick for the professional Women’s Hockey League later this year.
With the rise in popularity, Jason and Travis Kelce recognized her as one of their own, all three being from Cleveland Heights.
“One of Cleveland Heights’ own, and University of Wisconsin forward, Laila Edwards. Shoutout to Laila Edwards. She’s set to become the first Black woman to play for Team USA senior hockey team,” Travis Kelce said in his and his brothers podcast, New Heights.
“I don’t know all the details, but I know Jason and Kylie will be there for sure. Travis is working on it,” Edwards told TMZ Sports in an interview.
Back in 2024, Edwards competed in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) women’s ice hockey world championship with the U.S. national team. During this, she won Most Valuable Player after scoring six goals in one game. In this championship, the U.S. won silver, giving Edwards her first medal.
In the 2025 season, Edwards made a game-changing move, transitioning from playing forward to defender. This allowed the U.S. to win gold in the IIHF world championships. Adding to her streak in 2025, Edwards was in the top three final voting for the Patty Kazmaier Award, a prize given out annually to the country’s best women’s college hockey player.
After Edwards was officially on the roster to play with the U.S. team for the Olympics, her family set up a GoFundMe to help them go to Milan and support her. Generously, Travis Kelce donated $10,000, giving a significant boost in their fundraising efforts. Alongside donating, the Kelce brothers are also making efforts to go out and see Edwards in action.
Now, in 2026, Edwards has hopes of obtaining her third medal, and an Olympic medal, nonetheless. She has made history by becoming the first Black woman to play for the U.S. hockey team at the Olympics and has become the role model for little kids she never had.
“That’s like the number one thing that motivates me to keep going, so they can see someone that looks like them, but also someone that looks like them succeeding at the highest level,” Edwards said to NBC Olympics.
Despite a rough start in her ice hockey career, Edwards has continued to persist. She has set the example of perseverance for Black athletes facing discrimination and harassment. Her continued dedication has allowed her to reach farther than the world would have expected.
