Laila Edwards is set to make history as the first African-American woman to play Winter Olympic ice hockey for Team USA, after she was included in the 23-player roster for Milano Cortina 2026.
“It still hasn’t really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true,” Edwards told the Associated Press.
“Always had dreams of playing in the pros, but the biggest dream was to go the Olympics, for sure.”
Laila Edwards’ quick rise
In just a few short years, Edwards has quickly risen to become one of Team USA’s top ice hockey talents, making quite the history along the way.
She became the youngest American to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the women’s hockey world championships when she was 20 years old and helped the USA to their 11th title last April.
A rare two-way player who can contribute in both defence and as a forward, the 1.85m tall (6 ft) Cleveland Heights native, had made her national team debut two years prior, at just 19, becoming the first Black woman to play for the US women’s hockey team and subsequently the first Black woman to win the IIHF Women’s World Championship.
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