Laila Edwards

Laila Edwards
Born (2004-01-25) January 25, 2004 (age 20)
Cleveland Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
NCAA team University of Wisconsin
National team  United States
Playing career 2022–present
Medal record
World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2024 United States

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 attended 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]

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.[9] Following the tournament she was named the tournament's most valuable player, best forward and named to the All-Tournament team.[10]

In November 2023, she was named to the United States women's national ice hockey team for the November Rivalry Series against Canada.[11][12] She was the first black woman to play for the U.S. women's senior national team.[13][14]

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.[15][16][17] 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.[17] During the semifinals against Finland, Edwards recorded a hat-trick to help lead the United States to the gold medal game against Canada.[18][19] 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.[20][21]

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 — — — — —
NCAA totals 82 34 49 83 22 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2022 United States U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 4 4 8 2
2024 United States WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 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 [22]
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2023 [23]
All-WCHA Third Team 2024 [24]
International
IIHF World Women's U18 Championship Best Forward 2022 [10]
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 [20]
IIHF World Women's Championship Media All-Star Team 2024
USA Hockey
Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Award 2024 [7]

References

  1. ^ "Forging Firsts: Laila Edwards". uwbadgers.com. January 30, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Laila Edwards". uwbadgers.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  3. ^ Haase, Nicole (November 11, 2023). "Laila Edwards Embracing Opportunity To Be A Role Model". USA Hockey. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Savin, Dani (March 5, 2024). "Skating to success: Laila Edwards shines on women's hockey team". The Badger Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Kennedy, Ian (February 29, 2024). "USA National Team Stars Highlight WCHA All-Star Teams". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Harvey, O'Brien named captains for Badgers". uwbadgers.com. September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  9. ^ Salvian, Hailey (November 11, 2023). "Meet Laila Edwards, the teenage phenom set to make history with Team USA". The Athletic. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Brown, Erin (June 14, 2022). "Edwards named MVP". IIHF.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "2024 U.S. Women's National Team Roster Announced". teamusa.usahockey.com. March 31, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Vohra, Ameeta (April 13, 2024). "Edwards leads United States to gold medal game". IIHF.com. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  19. ^ Brown, Erin (April 13, 2024). "Edwards Steals The Show As USA Prepares To Defend For Gold". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Podnieks, Andrew (14 April 2024). "Edwards named MVP". IIHF.com. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  21. ^ "UW's Laila Edwards earns USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year award". wcha.com. June 2, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "2022-23 All-WCHA Teams Announced". wcha.com. February 23, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  23. ^ "Lucky Seven: Badgers claim seventh National Title". uwbadgers.com. March 19, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  24. ^ "All-WCHA award recipients announced for 2023-24". wcha.com. February 29, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.