Laila Edwards will make history at the upcoming Winter Olympics as the first Black woman to play ice hockey for Team USA.
On Jan. 2 the 21-year-old college student — who was also the first Black woman to join the U.S. women’s national hockey team, as Blavity previously reported — was announced as part of Team USA’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team roster for Milano Cortina 2026, which will be held in Italy Feb. 6 to Feb. 22.
“It still hasn’t really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true,” Edwards said, per ABC News. “Always had dreams of playing in the pros, but the biggest dream was to go the Olympics for sure.”
Here’s more on Team USA’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team and Edwards’ career.
A GoFundMe has been started to help Edwards’ family travel to Italy for the Olympics
Team USA Hockey announced its Winter Olympic rosters on Instagram Jan. 2, including its Paralympic Sled Hockey and Men’s Ice Hockey teams, Black Enterprise reported.
Edwards was named a part of the Women’s Ice Hockey Team along 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 help Edwards’ family travel to Italy to support the ice hockey star at the Olympics.
“We want nothing more than to travel to Italy to support her in her Olympic dream, but this isn’t something we can afford on our own,” the GoFundMe page reads. “So many communities have supported Laila throughout her years of hockey, and we are asking for that support once again so we can be there to cheer her on and surround her with the love of family.”
At the time of publication, over $15,000 of the $50,000 goal had been raised.
Edwards has made history throughout her career
In addition to becoming the first Black woman to join the U.S. women’s national hockey team, Edwards — who first hit the ice when she was just a toddler, The Grio reported— has made history on several occasions throughout her career. According to Olympics.com, at 20 years old, she became the youngest American to win the Most Valuable Player at the World Championships in spring 2024. She made history in 2025 when she became the first Black woman to win the IIHF Women’s World Championship.
Edwards is a senior at the University of Wisconsin and balances playing for the school and national women’s hockey teams, The Grio reported.
“At first it was a little bit overwhelming making that history and all the media and things like that,” Edwards told Essence about making Team USA’s Women’s Hockey Team. “But then I was like, ‘This is such a privilege.’ I’m becoming a role model for so many people, and I’m being that someone that I didn’t necessarily have when I was their age.”
The 21-year-old also won the 2024 Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year award and was recognized as a 2025 North America Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in sports.
Edwards hopes this is just the beginning of her hockey career. She said she’d like to be an inspiration to young Black girls interested in hockey and show them that a career in the sport is possible.
“I want to leave a legacy that I was a great player, but an even better person and an inspiration,” she said. “I want [young Black girls] to see that I was at that level, but also that I succeeded at that level and I was one of the top people at that level because getting there is wonderful. It’s hard to get there, but to be a star there is even greater and even more inspiring.”