Laila Edwards

Quick Facts

• Position: Defenseman, Forward
• Daughter of Robert and Charone Gray-Edwards
• Played with older sister Chayla at the University of Wisconsin
• Two-time national champion at Wisconsin

• Off the ice, Edwards enjoys reading and listening to music

• Her favorite author is Jodi Picoult

Biographical Information

Laila Edwards went from figure skating to ice hockey at age five and never looked back. Her father, Robert, a recreational hockey player, put Layla and three of her siblings into Cleveland Heights Youth Hockey Program. Edwards left Ohio in the eighth grade to attend an elite girls’ hockey program at Bishop Kearney, a private school in Rochester, New York, before heading to the University of Wisconsin where she has been large part of two national championships under head coach Mark Johnson, one of the heroes for Team USA 1980 "Miracle on Ice" squad.

In 2023, Edwards became the first Black woman to play for the U.S. women’s hockey team. Edwards wrote: “I never anticipated being a role model. I was always searching for one myself, someone who resembled me and had similar aspirations.”

At the 2024 IIHF Women's Ice Hockey World Championship, Edwards was the named Tournament MVP at age 20 after scoring a tournament-leading six goals for the silver-medal winning U.S. national hockey team. The following season, Edwards made a selfless move from forward to defense to help the U.S. women's team recapture the world title.

World Championships Experience

• Most recent: 2025 – gold (Team - Women)
• Years of participation: Team - Women 2024, 2025
• Medals: 2 (1 gold, 1 silver)
• Gold – 2025 (Team - Women)
• Silver – 2024 (Team - Women)

Olympic Experience

• 1-time Olympian; 1-time Olympic medalist (1 gold)
• Olympic Games Milan 2026, gold (Team - Women)