Laila Edwards will make historical past on the upcoming Winter Olympics as the primary Black girl to play ice hockey for Team USA.
On Jan. 2 the 21-year-old school pupil — who was additionally the primary Black girl to hitch the U.S. ladies’s nationwide hockey crew, as Blavity beforehand reported — was introduced as a part of Team USA’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team roster for Milano Cortina 2026, which will probably be held in Italy Feb. 6 to Feb. 22.
“It nonetheless hasn’t actually kicked in but. Getting that decision is sort of a dream come true,” Edwards mentioned, per ABC News. “Always had desires of enjoying within the execs, however the largest dream was to go the Olympics for positive.”
Here’s extra on Team USA’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team and Edwards’ profession.
A GoFundMe has been began to assist Edwards’ household journey to Italy for the Olympics
Team USA Hockey introduced its Winter Olympic rosters on Instagram Jan. 2, together with its Paralympic Sled Hockey and Men’s Ice Hockey groups, Black Enterprise reported.
Edwards was named part of the Women’s Ice Hockey Team together with Cayla Barnes, Hannah Bilka, Alex Carpenter, Britta Curl-Salemme, Joy Dunne, Aerin Frankel, Rory Guilday, Caroline Harvey, Taylor Heise, Tessa Janecke, Megan Keller, Ava McNaughton, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Gwyneth Philips, Hayley Scamurra, Kirsten Simms, Lee Stecklein, Haley Winn and Grace Zumwinkle.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist Edwards’ household journey to Italy to assist the ice hockey star on the Olympics.
“We need nothing greater than to journey to Italy to assist her in her Olympic dream, however this isn’t one thing we will afford on our personal,” the GoFundMe web page reads. “So many communities have supported Laila all through her years of hockey, and we’re asking for that assist as soon as once more so we might be there to cheer her on and encompass her with the love of household.”
At the time of publication, over $15,000 of the $50,000 objective had been raised.
Edwards has made historical past all through her profession
In addition to turning into the primary Black girl to hitch the U.S. ladies’s nationwide hockey crew, Edwards — who first hit the ice when she was only a toddler, The Grio reported— has made historical past on a number of events all through her profession. According to Olympics.com, at 20 years previous, she turned the youngest American to win the Most Valuable Player on the World Championships in spring 2024. She made historical past in 2025 when she turned the primary Black girl to win the IIHF Women’s World Championship.
Edwards is a senior on the University of Wisconsin and balances enjoying for the varsity and nationwide ladies’s hockey groups, The Grio reported.
“At first it was just a little bit overwhelming making that historical past and all of the media and issues like that,” Edwards instructed Essence about making Team USA’s Women’s Hockey Team. “But then I used to be like, ‘This is such a privilege.’ I’m turning into a job mannequin for thus many individuals, and I’m being that somebody that I didn’t essentially have after I was their age.”
The 21-year-old additionally gained the 2024 Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year award and was acknowledged as a 2025 North America Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in sports activities.
Edwards hopes that is only the start of her hockey profession. She mentioned she’d wish to be an inspiration to younger Black ladies taken with hockey and present them {that a} profession within the sport is feasible.
“I wish to depart a legacy that I used to be a fantastic participant, however a fair higher individual and an inspiration,” she mentioned. “I would like [young Black girls] to see that I used to be at that degree, but additionally that I succeeded at that degree and I used to be one of many high folks at that degree as a result of getting there may be great. It’s onerous to get there, however to be a star there may be even larger and much more inspiring.”
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