Laila Edwards (born January 25, 2004) is an American college ice hockey player for the University of Wisconsin and a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team.
Early life
Edwards left her hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, to attend Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, New York, at the age of 13.[1] 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.[2] She skipped her high school graduation ceremony to compete at the 2022 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship.[3]
Playing career
Edwards began her collegiate career for Wisconsin 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.[4]
During the 2023–24 season, in her sophomore year, she recorded 21 goals and 35 assists in 41 games.[5] Following the season she was named to the All-WCHA Third Team.[6] On May 29, 2024, she was named the recipient of the USA Hockey Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award.[7]
On September 18, 2024, she was named an alternate captain for the 2024–25 season.[8] 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 recorded 37 goals during the 2011–12 season.[9] Following the season she was named to the All-WCHA First Team and a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.[10] During the semifinals of the 2025 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament, she recorded a hat-trick to help Wisconsin advance to the national championship game for the third consecutive season.[11][12]
International play
Edwards represented the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship 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.[13] Following the tournament she was named the tournament's most valuable player, best forward and named to the All-Tournament team.[14]
In November 2023, she was named to the United States women's national ice hockey team for the November Rivalry Series against Canada.[15][16] She was the first black woman to play for the U.S. women's senior national team.[17][18]
On March 31, 2024, she was named to the United States roster for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship, and was the first black woman to play for the United States at the IIHF World Women's Championship.[19][20][21] 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.[21] During the semifinals against Finland, Edwards recorded a hat-trick to help lead the United States to the gold medal game against Canada.[22][23] 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.[24][25]
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 Wisconsin.[2]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2022–23 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 41 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 41 | 21 | 35 | 56 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 41 | 35 | 36 | 71 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA totals | 423 | 69 | 85 | 154 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | United States | U18 | 
|
5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024 | United States | WC |
|
7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Honors | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| WCHA All-Rookie Team | 2023 | [26] |
| NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2023, 2025 | [27] |
| All-WCHA Third Team | 2024 | [28] |
| All-WCHA First Team | 2025 | [29] |
| International | ||
| IIHF World Women's U18 Championship Best Forward | 2022 | [14] |
| IIHF World Women's U18 Championship Most Valuable Player | 2022 | |
| IIHF World Women's U18 Championship Media All-Star Team | 2022 | |
| IIHF World Women's Championship Most Valuable Player | 2024 | [24] |
| IIHF World Women's Championship Media All-Star Team | 2024 | |
| USA Hockey | ||
| Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award | 2024 | [7] |
References
- ^ "Forging Firsts: Laila Edwards". uwbadgers.com. January 30, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Laila Edwards". uwbadgers.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Haase, Nicole (November 11, 2023). "Laila Edwards Embracing Opportunity To Be A Role Model". USA Hockey. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Stewart, Mark (March 20, 2023). "Wisconsin women's hockey blanks Ohio State to win its 7th national title". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Savin, Dani (March 5, 2024). "Skating to success: Laila Edwards shines on women's hockey team". The Badger Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Kennedy, Ian (February 29, 2024). "USA National Team Stars Highlight WCHA All-Star Teams". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Ian (May 29, 2024). "Laila Edwards Named USA Hockey's Women's Player of the Year". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ "Harvey, O'Brien named captains for Badgers". uwbadgers.com. September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ "Sensational Simms: Junior leads comeback to lift UW to eighth NCAA title". uwbadgers.com. March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
- ^ "Edwards, Harvey, O'Brien Named 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-Three Finalists". pattykaz.com. March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
- ^ "Championship bound: Badgers take down Golden Gophers 6-2". uwbadgers.com. March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
- ^ Kallmann, Dave (March 22, 2025). "Wisconsin knocks off Minnesota again, sets up women's hockey championship rematch with Ohio State". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Salvian, Hailey (November 11, 2023). "Meet Laila Edwards, the teenage phenom set to make history with Team USA". The Athletic. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Brown, Erin (June 14, 2022). "Edwards named MVP". IIHF.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Douglas, William (November 6, 2023). "Color of Hockey: Edwards 1st Black player for U.S. women's national team". NHL.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Gerstner, Joanne C. (November 7, 2023). "Team USA's Laila Edwards Is Set For A Historic Debut In The Women's Hockey Rivalry Series". teamusa.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Stewart, Mark (November 17, 2023). "Wisconsin's Laila Edwards honored to be the first Black woman on U.S. hockey team". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Milewski, Todd D. (January 20, 2024). "Wisconsin's Laila Edwards sees groundbreaking US team appearance as making a difference". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ "2024 U.S. Women's National Team Roster Announced". teamusa.usahockey.com. March 31, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ Salvian, Hailey (March 31, 2024). "U.S. women's world championship roster: Kendall Coyne Schofield returns, college stars debut". The Athletic. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Ian (April 5, 2024). "Laila Edwards Becomes First Black Woman In History To Score For Team USA". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ Vohra, Ameeta (April 13, 2024). "Edwards leads United States to gold medal game". IIHF.com. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Erin (April 13, 2024). "Edwards Steals The Show As USA Prepares To Defend For Gold". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Podnieks, Andrew (April 14, 2024). "Edwards named MVP". IIHF.com. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ "UW's Laila Edwards earns USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year award". wcha.com. June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ "2022-23 All-WCHA Teams Announced". wcha.com. February 23, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ "Lucky Seven: Badgers claim seventh National Title". uwbadgers.com. March 19, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ "All-WCHA award recipients announced for 2023-24". wcha.com. February 29, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ "All-WCHA Teams Announced for 2024-25". wcha.com. March 3, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com
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