\u201cWhoa,\u201d said Edwards, well-versed in the city\u2019s sports history even though she long ago left Cleveland to pursue a career in hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s born in Ohio. His dad played for the Cavs. Legend,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cI thought it was super cool for him to do that, when he didn\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
A day later in November, Edwards hit the ice at the same downtown arena, where she took the ceremonial opening face off and had an assist\u00a0in a 4-1 Rivalry Series win over Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n Soon enough, Nance might not be the only one hopping aboard the Edwards bandwagon as she prepares to make her Olympic debut at the Milan Cortina Games next month. She will become the first Black female to represent the U.S. at the Olympics in hockey, and at 6-foot-1 (185 centimeters) and 195 pounds (88 kilograms), she is an imposing defender with a rare combination of having a hard shot, speed and deft play-making ability.<\/p>\n Future of the sport<\/p>\n \u201cLaila is the future of the sport,\u201d said Hilary Knight, team captain and the face of U.S. women\u2019s hockey. \u201cI think you\u2019re seeing someone who\u2019s coming into her skill set and just scratching the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwards is so highly regarded that USA Hockey made a point to play in Cleveland in what served as a coming out party for the player completing her senior college season at top-ranked Wisconsin. She is only 21.<\/p>\n It was a four-day visit with practices at a rink Edwards knew well when she was growing up. It was also a chance to reconnect with her family, who have watched much of her development from afar. Edwards left Cleveland to play for an elite girls team in Pittsburgh, and spent high school at the Bishop Kearney Selects Academy in Rochester, New York, before moving on to Wisconsin.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea of going from a 400-seat rink to the biggest sporting event in the world, it\u2019s like, wow,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt feels like a full-circle moment to be starting the launch of my Olympic career here in Cleveland with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n Early hockey start<\/p>\n Edwards got into hockey at 3, courtesy of her father, Robert. Her older brother, Bobby, first played, and she was joined by older sister Chayla, who also played at Wisconsin.<\/p>\n She developed at such a rapid pace that by 11, coaches suggested Edwards begin playing with girls two- and three years older. That prompted the decision to have her play for more established developmental programs, including Kearney, which has produced numerous high-caliber players including fellow Olympic teammates in Harvey, Haley Winn, Kristen Simms and Ava McNaughton.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought she was ready because she was mature for her age. She was very solid educationally,\u201d Robert Edwards said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing that we didn\u2019t expect was to miss her as much as we did, and the loss of not seeing her grow up,\u201d he added. \u201cI don\u2019t regret doing that, but that is something that I feel was not the best part of her going away.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwards faced her share of challenges away from home, too. There were growth spurts \u2014 some five inches at Kearney \u2014 and there were sacrifices, such as having to skip her graduation to compete at the Under-18 world championships.<\/p>\n And there was being a Black athlete in a sport predominantly played by white players.<\/p>\n \u201cTo get through some of the things you have to get through in this sport, you\u2019ve got to be strong,\u201d Edwards said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot that goes on in the locker room, outside, coaches, practice, fans,\u201d she added, declining to go into details. \u201cYou definitely have to be strong. And I think it\u2019s huge in terms of representation and being a role model.\u201d<\/p>\n Forward to defense<\/p>\n![\"Laila](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769505976_620_.jpeg\")
Laila Edwards, center, the first Black woman to suit up for Team USA women\u2019s Olympic hockey, poses for a photo with her parents, Charone Gray-Edwards, left, and Robert Edwards, right, in her childhood home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo\/Sue Ogrocki)<\/p>\n![\"US's](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769505976_718_.jpeg\")
US\u2019s Taylor Heise (27), Lacey Eden (7), Laila Edwards (10) Caroline Harvey (4) and Haley Winn (8) celebrate with teammates after the US defeated Canada in a Rivalry Series women\u2019s hockey game Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo\/Sue Ogrocki, File)<\/p>\n