Who is Leila Edwards? Meet the first black woman to make the U.S. Olympic roster originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team has a lot of familiar names, including captains Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne-Schofield. The list is dominated by veterans. But despite the silence, there are some youngsters in the ranks.
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Leila Edwards isn’t the youngest player on the Team USA roster. But she was close. The 22-year-old is still in college, making her something of an outlier compared to most of her national team colleagues. But her talent proved attractive. With speed, size and a fiery shot, the forward defender is considered one of the most important players in the country – now and in the future.
In addition to his on-ice impact, Edwards is making waves for another noteworthy reason. She is the first black player to represent the U.S. women’s hockey team in the Winter Olympics.
So, who exactly is Edwards? Where does she rank among black athletes who have walked the ice during the Olympics? Here’s what you need to know.
More 2026 Olympics: Live Medal Tracker | Spectator Guide | Daily Schedule
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Who is Leila Edwards?
Edwards is a forward on the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team. The 22-year-old is one of college hockey’s best talents, having won two national championships with Wisconsin. In 2025, she finished in the top three in voting for the Patty Kazmaier Award, awarded annually to the nation’s best women’s college lacrosse player. She also led the nation in goals as a teenager.
Edwards, the first black woman to play for the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, is a 6-1 defender who grew up trying to emulate Alex Ovechkin, a natural scorer, according to ESPN. But at the Olympic level, she plays on the blue line, guiding attackers on one side of the ice while initiating offense on the other.
“She’s a special player and there aren’t a lot of players like her. It’s a generational thing,” said Kari Cohen, director of girls’ lacrosse at Bishop Caney High School, where Edwards attended. “You can put Hilary Knight on defense and she’ll do a great job. It’s natural for Leila to do both of those things because at the point, she can see the play in front of her and know what’s coming next. She already does that as a forward, but at the blue line, she has more time to create plays and put people in position.”
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More: Who has the most Olympic goals in women’s hockey history?
Where is Leila Edwards from?
Edwards is from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The town has a population of 45,312. It’s proving increasingly popular among sports fans, with NFL players Jason and Travis Kelce being two of its most famous residents.
As a child, Edwards played with children at the Cleveland Heights Community Center. She and her sister Chayla are both passionate about hockey. They would shoot pucks against the white walls surrounding the living room, leaving traces that still remain over the years. They had the opportunity to test their talents with the boys at the Cleveland Heights Community Center. Sister Edwards passed with flying colors.
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More: 2026 Hockey Championship results and schedule updated today
Laila Edwards and Travis Kelce’s relationship
Edwards isn’t the first athlete to emerge from the shores of Cleveland Heights. Before her were the Kells brothers.
Not surprisingly, the Kelchi family took a keen interest in Edwards’ career. After Edwards made her national team debut in November 2023, the brothers praised her.
More than two years later, the brothers showed their support for Edwards in another gesture. Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Edwards’ family launched a GoFundMe in hopes of funding their trip to Cortina, Milan.
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Travis and Jason Kelce donated $10,000 to the family’s efforts.
More: Olympic women’s hockey rankings, results
“Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to pay attention to us little people and support us,” Charone Gray Edwards, Lyla’s mother, said on NHL.com. “Like, it’s a big deal because the Kelsey guys don’t know us. The only connection is Cleveland Heights. I’m really grateful.”
The Kelchis’ donation proved useful. The Edwards family surpassed their $50,000 goal and allowed relatives – including her 91-year-old grandmother Ernestine – to watch her make her Olympic debut.
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“So I mean, these are really good people,” Edwards told People. “In addition to their athletic ability, they’re also really good people.”
The history of black hockey players competing in the Olympics
Edwards is not the first black athlete to shine under the Olympic flag. She was one of the few people of African descent to compete on the Olympic hockey team.
Here are some of her exes:
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Jarome Iginla
Born in Edmonton to a Nigerian father and an Oregon mother, Iginla is one of the greatest talents in hockey history. The former Flames star scored over 600 goals during his illustrious career. He had similar success with the Canadian national team, making three Olympic rosters and winning two Olympic gold medals (2002, 2010).
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Iginla scored 10 goals and four assists in 19 Olympic games. He was the top scorer at the 2010 Olympics with 5 goals. He also provided the assist for Sidney Crosby’s gold-medal goal in overtime against the United States.
Jordan Greenway
Greenaway, a native of Canton, N.Y., was the first African American to be named to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey roster during the 2018 Winter Olympics. The 6-foot-6 forward hasn’t had the same success as Iginla. But he did score one goal, helping the U.S. finish seventh at the 2018 Olympics.
(Getty Images)
Sarah Nass
The nurse is of Trinidadian descent. She comes from one of the most decorated families in Canadian sports history. Her uncle Richard played in the CFL, while her cousins Darnell and Kia played for the Oilers in the NHL and the Sky in the WNBA, respectively. Nurse’s brother, Isaac, plays in the OHL. Her aunt, Raquel-Ann, played basketball at Syracuse before marrying her other uncle, former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.
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Not surprisingly, Nurse is also into sports. She has since become one of the biggest stars in women’s hockey, becoming the first black woman in hockey history to win an Olympic gold medal in 2022. She assisted Marie-Philip Poulin in her gold medal goal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, earning top forward honors.
