Laila Edwards (born January 25, 2004) is an American

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

player for the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

and a member of the

United States women's national ice hockey team The United States women's national ice hockey team is controlled by USA Hockey. The U.S. has been one of the most successful women's ice hockey teams in international play, having medaled in every major tournament. In 1998, the women's Olympic ...

Early life

Edwards left her hometown of

Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. One of Cleveland's historic streetcar suburbs, it was founded as a village in 1903 and a city in 1921. History The area that is ...

, to attend Bishop Kearney High School in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, at the age of 13. During the 2021–22 season, she recorded 38 goals and 59 assists for the under-19 team at Bishop Kearney. She finished her career at Bishop Kearney with 147 goals and 266 assists in 287 games from 2018 to 2022. She skipped her high school graduation ceremony to compete at the

2022 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship The 2022 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship was the 14th IIHF U18 Women's World Championship in ice hockey. On December 24, 2021, the tournament was cancelled for the second year in a row by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) due t ...

Playing career

Edwards began her collegiate career for

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

during the 2022–23 season. During her freshman year, she recorded 13 goals and 14 assists in 41 games. Following the season she was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team. During the 2023 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament, she recorded four goals and one assist to help Wisconsin win their seventh national championship. She was subsequently named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. During the 2023–24 season, in her sophomore year, she recorded 21 goals and 35 assists in 41 games. Following the season she was named to the All-WCHA Third Team. On May 29, 2024, she was named the recipient of the

USA Hockey USA Hockey is a national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United S ...

Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award The Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award is given annually by USA Hockey to an outstanding American-born female ice hockey player. It was first presented in 1994. History In 2007, the name of the award was changed to honor the late Bob Alle ...

. On September 18, 2024, she was named an alternate captain for the 2024–25 season. In her junior year, she recorded 35 and 36 assists in 41 games. She led the nation with 35 goals. Her 35 goals were the most by a Badgers player since

Brianna Decker Brianna Decker (born May 13, 1991) is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Wisconsin Badgers, Boston Blades, Boston Pride, Calgary Inferno, Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, and United States wom ...

recorded 37 goals during the 2011–12 season. Following the season she was named to the All-WCHA First Team and a top-three finalist for the

Patty Kazmaier Award The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is given to the top female college ice hockey player in the United States. The award is presented during the women's annual ice hockey championship, the Frozen Four. The award was first presented in 1998. The ...

. During the semifinals of the

2025 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament The 2025 NCAA National Collegiate women's ice hockey tournament was a single-elimination tournament by eleven schools to determine the national champion of women's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. This was the fourth year the tournament featur ...

, she recorded a hat-trick to help Wisconsin advance to the national championship game for the third consecutive season.

International play

Edwards represented the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

where she was an alternate captain. She led the team in scoring, with four goals and four assists in five games and won a silver medal. Following the tournament she was named the tournament's most valuable player, best forward and named to the All-Tournament team. In November 2023, she was named to the

for the November Rivalry Series against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. She was the first black woman to play for the U.S. women's senior national team. On March 31, 2024, she was named to the United States roster for the

2024 IIHF Women's World Championship The 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship was the 23rd edition of the IIHF World Women's Championship, an international ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), contested in Utica, New York, United State ...

, and was the first black woman to play for the United States at the

IIHF World Women's Championship The IIHF Women's World Championship is the premier international women's tournament in ice hockey. It is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The official world competition was first held in 1990, with four more champions ...

. During a preliminary round game against Czechia on April 5, 2024, Edwards became the first black woman to score a goal for team USA at the IIHF World Women's Championship. During the semifinals against

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, Edwards recorded a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

to help lead the United States to the gold medal game against

. She finished the tournament with six goals and two assists in seven games and won a silver medal. She was subsequently named the Tournament MVP and named to the All-Star team, becoming the youngest player to be named MVP at an IIHF World Women's Championship. On March 5, 2025, she was again named to the United States roster for the

2025 IIHF Women's World Championship The 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship was the 24th edition of the IIHF Women's World Championship, an international ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), contested in České Budějovice, Czech Repub ...

. Edwards was told she would have a better chance at staying on the roster at defense than forward, as a result she switched positions. During the tournament she recorded one goal and three assists in seven games and won a gold medal.

Personal life

Edwards was born to Robert Edwards and Charone Gray-Edwards. She has two brothers, Robert and Colson, and two sisters, Britney Gray and Chayla. Her sister Chayla also plays ice hockey for

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Laila 2004 births Living people American women's ice hockey forwards African-American ice hockey players Ice hockey people from Ohio People from Cleveland Heights, Ohio Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey players 21st-century American sportswomen