Laila Edwards is preparing for the next step in her women’s ice hockey career, confirming that she’ll enter the PWHL draft after graduating from Wisconsin this year.
Edwards, a three-time NCAA champion with the Badgers, will graduate on May 9th with a 4.0 GPA and a degree in social welfare. As she recently told Good Morning America, going pro is now the plan, with the PWHL draft set for late June.
“Pro? That’s the plan,” Edwards said. “Entering the draft at the end of June.”
The forward has played a key role in the Badgers’ recent success, while also helping Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 22-year-old made history in Milan, when she became Team USA’s first Black woman goal-scorer in February’s 5-0 group-stage win over Canada. Opening up about her experience, Edwards pointed to the impact she hopes to have — both on and off the ice.
“I think representation matters, so to be that representation means the world,” she said. “That is the greatest reward, by far… the inspiration. It’s everything.”
Edwards also emphasized how she wants to be remembered as her career continues to develop.
“I’m super competitive. I love winning,” she said. “But I want to leave a legacy about who I was as a role model, a leader, and a person.”
Edwards is expected to be one of the top players to watch in the 2026 PWHL Draft — alongside fellow USA Hockey and Wisconsin teammate Caroline Harvey.
She also added that her long-term plans extend beyond hockey, pointing to a future focused on helping others.
“Whatever I’m going to do with that, I don’t know yet,” Edwards said of her Bachelor’s degree. “Just the idea of helping people who need help.”
Team USA hero Hilary Knight is back on the ice, returning to the PWHL for the first time since January after the Seattle Torrent removed the Olympic gold medalist from the team's long-term injured reserve list on Sunday.
Along with her second career gold and fifth overall Olympic medal, Knight also picked up a torn MCL in Milan last month, powering through the tournament before returning Stateside to rehab her knee.
The 36-year-old team captain returned to Seattle's top line in the Torrent's 2-0 Sunday loss to the Ottawa Charge, registering four shots on goal in just under 22 minutes of play.
Knight, who became Team USA's all-time Olympic goals and points leader in Milan, enters the final stretch of the 2025/26 PWHL season with three goals and seven assists on the Torrent's stat sheet.
While Seattle will be happy to have its captain back, the last-place PWHL expansion team is likely more focused on the draft than the playoffs, with the Torrent a full 11 points below the postseason line after racking up just 22 points through 23 games played.
How to watch Hilary Knight and the Seattle Torrent in PWHL action
Seattle's debut season has already made history, and Knight and her Torrent will make even more this weekend when they face off against the New York Sirens in the PWHL's first-ever game in Manhattan's legendary Madison Square Garden (MSG).
With Seattle holding a 2-1 record against New York, the MSG crowd will look to lift the Sirens to a win to even the series.
The Torrent will take on the Sirens in the iconic arena's first-ever ticketed pro women's hockey event at 8 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage streaming on YouTube.
The Seattle Torrent defeated the New York Sirens 4-1 on Wednesday night, with the hockey teams taking the ice at Allstate Arena as the PWHL surpassed the 2 million all-time attendance mark.
10,006 fans attended the game in Chicago, pushing the league's total attendance to 2,001,975 through 275 games since its January 2024 launch. As with many such attendance milestones, the feat was achieved during the 13th of this year's 16-game PWHL Takeover Tour.
Seattle dominated the first period with three goals. Theresa Schafzahl opened scoring with a wraparound at 10:33, before Danielle Serdachny made it 2-0 at 14:25, and Cayla Barnes scored on the power play at 19:34. The three first-period goals marked the most the 2025/26 PWHL expansion team has ever scored in a single period.
The Torrent snapped a four-game losing streak behind strong performances from their top line. Alex Carpenter, Schafzahl, and Serdachny combined for eight points, while goalie Corinne Schroeder stopped 29 shots in her first appearance against her former team.
Sarah Fillier cut New York's deficit to 3-1 nearly six minutes into the third period, before Carpenter restored the three-goal lead at 9:48 to seal the victory.
The win marks Seattle's second away victory this season.
New York has now lost five straight road games, sitting three points behind fifth-place Ottawa in the PWHL playoff race. Seattle now moves within two points of seventh-place Vancouver.
The fan-favorite hockey teams take the ice again this weekend, when the Sirens face Montréal in Detroit on Saturday while the Torrent host a Sunday showdown with Ottawa.
The Badgers are Division I women's hockey champions once again, as No. 2-seed Wisconsin took down their top-seeded rival Ohio State 3-2 in Sunday's 2026 Frozen Four finale to claim a second straight NCAA title.
The win marks Wisconsin's fifth championship in the last seven seasons and extends their title lead to nine total championships — three more than second-place powerhouse Minnesota.
Winger Kelly Gorbatenko opened scoring for the Badgers just 78 seconds into the game, before fellow junior Laney Potter doubled the lead just six minutes later.
Following a scoreless second period, Ohio State battled back, as freshman Kassidy Carmichael and junior Jocelyn Amos drew the Buckeyes even with two goals in the first five minutes of the third period.
With just over six minutes left, forward Claire Enright played hero, with the Wisconsin third-liner slotting home a stunner of a goal to secure the trophy in her senior season.
In the other net, Badger goaltender Ava McNaughton posted 34 saves against a prolific Ohio State offense, earning the junior this year's Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player honor to go along with her 2026 Olympic gold medal.
With three NCAA hockey titles in tow, Wisconsin is sending its senior class — including fellow Olympic champions Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, and Kirsten Simms — to the PWHL in style.
"We did enough to get to the finish line," said Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson. "We're excited to bring the trophy back to Madison."
The puck drops on the 2026 Frozen Four on Friday, as three of the top teams in NCAA women's ice hockey chase reigning champion Wisconsin for Sunday's national title.
After upsetting six-time champs No. 4 Minnesota in last Saturday's quarterfinals, the No. 5-seed Northeastern Huskies will open the Frozen Four against top seed Ohio State.
While the Buckeyes are hunting a third title to hang next to their 2022 and 2024 banners, the Huskies are hoping for a break-through first national trophy, with Northeastern's previous best finish coming as 2021 runners-up to Wisconsin.
Then in Friday's second semifinal, Frozen Four debutants No. 3 Penn State will hunt their own upset against the dynasty No. 2 Badgers, whose eight championships outpace all other NCAA women's hockey programs.
Though all four teams will aim to make history this weekend, Ohio State is already looking toward the future, locking in the Buckeyes' title-winning head coach Nadine Muzerall on a five-year contract extension on Thursday.
"There is one person to lead @OhioStateWHKY," tweeted Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork, shouting out Muzerall's record. "She hasn't just coached a team; she's built a powerhouse on & off the ice."
How to watch the 2026 Frozen Four this weekend
The Frozen Four takes the ice on Friday, with No. 1 Ohio State taking on No. 5 Northeastern at 4 PM ET before No. 2 Wisconsin faces off against No. 3 Penn State at 7:30 PM ET.
Both semifinals will air live on ESPN+.
The winners will then vie for the 2026 national championship at 4 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on ESPNU.
You can tell just from the sound of her voice that Wisconsin hockey superstar Caroline Harvey is tired.
And it makes sense. The Olympic gold medalist is emerging from a whirlwind winter, returning to school mired in both euphoria and fatigue after winning Most Outstanding Player for her part in Team USA's triumphant run.
But Harvey also wouldn't trade this moment for the world, she told JWS earlier this month, as she pivots from Olympic glory to a task much closer to home: winning Wisconsin their second straight national championship in her final few games as a Badger.
"Wisconsin hockey, we have the best fans in the nation," Harvey said, speaking from the school's training facility. "We've got a lot of support, and we have the best team on staff, best teammates. We're firing on all cylinders — no better time than now."
Of course, Harvey's squad is excited to have their on-ice sniper back. Known as "KK" to her teammates, the 23-year-old served as one of just six active NCAA players on the US Olympic squad, joining fellow Badgers Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, and Ava McNaughton, as well as Ohio State standout Joy Dunne, and Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy.
And there was no rest for the weary. The NCAA season continued while its stars were overseas, leaving the young US core to balance Olympic stardom, schoolwork, and keeping track of the competition back home even as they took care of business in Milan.
From NIL Deals to Championship Goals
Now firmly in the postseason, Harvey and Wisconsin teammate Lacey Eden somehow have even more to balance, fielding NIL opportunities stemming from hockey's growing popularity while carrying the torch for the NCAA's No. 1 team. They recently featured in UScellular's "Better Together" campaign, raising women's college hockey's profile to new heights.
"UScellular took the time to get to know us as people, and formatted this campaign around our interests and how we interact with each other — our playful, fun energy," Eden said. "They really brought this idea of our relationship to life."
"It truly is showcasing our friendship in general, and the connectivity we have," Harvey echoed. "That definitely plays into our honest style of play."
Simultaneous Success Across NCAA Hockey's Biggest Stages
While Harvey and her teammates navigated the Olympics, they made sure to stay in close contact with their college teammates back in Madison. Wisconsin prides itself on its women's hockey program, having won four of the last six national championships.
Harvey remembers wishing her her fellow Badgers luck via text before games. And she watched NCAA matches on her phone while in the treatment room in Italy alongside Wisconsin trainer Stefanie Arndt.
"[I was] definitely tuned in and cheering them on from afar," Harvey recalled. "I was missing them more than ever, and I'm just so glad and happy to be reunited with everyone."
Eden stepped up in Harvey's absence, having just missed the cut herself to join the US on the Olympic stage. The Annapolis native climbed the scoring leaderboard with 75 points on the year, fueling Wisconsin to the top of the regular-season WCHA standings. Both seniors are expected to be top picks in the PWHL draft, making their final weeks together all the more precious.
"I missed her a lot over the last month. But you knew she'd step up the way she did," Harvey said of Eden. "She already had been having a phenomenal season. But then to elevate it even more — [I'm] just so impressed with her play."
"Her leadership too, that's been a huge thing," she added. "She already was a leader, but even more so now, [after] having to literally put the team on her back."
Between academics with hockey, Eden had a bit of a harder time keeping up with her friend's international breakout. But she made sure to go watch the highlights every time Harvey and Edwards had a good game — a frequent occurrence.
"That's every little hockey player's dream," Eden said, smiling with pride. "To go to the Olympics, win a gold medal, and then on top of it, be the MVP. It's just insane."
"It means a lot for the sport in general," she continued. "And just shows what Wisconsin can produce, and has been producing for many years."
One Last Frozen Four Dream with Wisconsin
The time apart wasn't always easy on the Wisconsin duo. Now, however, they're focused on cultivating their best hockey during this month's NCAA postseason.
"When [Harvey and Edwards] left, that's some of our best players just out of the lineup. It was a lot to navigate," Eden said. "I can't count the number of goals that we've connected on, whether it be KK shooting for a tip for me, or hitting her at the point. It's definitely something really special when you have that dynamic with a teammate."
UScellular tapped into how much fun the two have competing at anything — Eden said that they've had pickleball paddles taken away because things were getting too heated — reflecting their on-ice bond.
"I feel lucky to be out there when she's out there," Harvey said. "She's such a heads-up player, looking for the right play, whether that's passing, shooting or an interchange. It's so exciting."
And they'll need every bit of that creativity at the 2026 Frozen Four, the final two games standing between Wisconsin and another NCAA title. The Badgers fell just short in the conference round, falling 2-1 in the WCHA final against rival Ohio State. But they've got one more shot at raising their level.
A Breakthrough Year for Women's Hockey
No matter how the weekend goes, Eden and Harvey are keenly aware that their NCAA careers are coming to a close. The pros await, with more ways than ever to make a living playing the sport they love. Women's hockey is booming after Team USA's big win in Milan, with off-ice opportunities reaching players at a rapid clip.
"It's so exciting for women's hockey in general, with a lot of eyes and attention being on it," Harvey said. "[I'm] hoping, obviously, it will be sustained and keep growing."
But with Wisconsin hockey entering the heart of the Frozen Four, Harvey and Eden also acknowledge that dreaming about the future can break focus. And they don't want anything messing with their collegiate finale.
"There is a lot of outside noise, and it can be difficult sometimes just to ignore it," Harvey said. "But the best thing to do is just lean on your teammates and stay present, be where you are with them in that moment."
Harvey's star can only rise after this year's Frozen Four. US women's hockey has made a statement, both as Olympic winners and a lightning rod in the polarizing women's sports discourse. And she'll likely need to step up as a national team leader soon, as the veterans inevitably begin to hang up their skates.
"There's going to be opinions, there's going to be people talking, things happening. But what matters is this team," Harvey said.
"It's such a short period of time, but it's going to be so exciting, and we want to be present and enjoy it fully with one another. Because we'll never, ever be the same team again."
College women's ice hockey locked in the 2026 Frozen Four over the weekend, as the national tournament's regional finals delivered just one upset on Saturday.
Despite two goals from Olympic gold medalist Abbey Murphy, No. 4-seed Minnesota fell 4-2 to the No. 5 Northeastern Huskies, ending the Golden Gophers' postseason — and the six-time champions' hopes of returning to the top of the podium for the first time in a decade.
"Every day I just kind of soaked it all in," Murphy said after capping her college career with a program-record 143 goals. "It's crazy it's all over."
Northeastern now moves on to face No. 1-seed Ohio State, after the Buckeyes defeated Yale 6-1 in their own regional final on Saturday.
Ohio State's revenge campaign against reigning champions Wisconsin remains intact, as the No. 2 Badgers — and their quartet of Olympic champions — also advanced to the Frozen Four after shutting out Quinnipiac 6-0 on Saturday.
Wisconsin will next take on No. 3 Penn State, with the Nittany Lions booking their trip to the national tournament semifinals with a 3-0 Saturday win over UConn.
How to watch the 2026 Frozen Four
The puck will drop on the 2026 Frozen Four on Friday, with No. 1 Ohio State taking on No. 5 Northeastern at 4 PM ET before No. 2 Wisconsin faces off against No. 3 Penn State at 7:30 PM ET.
Both national women's ice hockey semifinals will air live on ESPN+.
The NCAA hockey season is winding down, with the puck dropping on the first round of the Division I national tournament on Thursday as players start down the road to the 2026 Frozen Four.
Unseeded qualifiers Franklin Pierce, Quinnipiac, Princeton, UConn, Yale, and Minnesota Duluth will open national bracket play in Thursday's regional semifinals.
The winners will then meet either No. 1-seed Ohio State, No. 2 Wisconsin, or No. 3 Penn State in Saturday's regional finals, with No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Northeastern readying to make their tournament debuts against each other the same round.
Conference tournament upsets notably shaped this year's field, with the Buckeyes earning the top seed after booking a 2-1 title victory over the formerly top-ranked Badgers in the WCHA Final Faceoff on Saturday.
The perennial titans have owned the national championship over the last six NCAA hockey seasons, with Wisconsin tallying four (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025) and Ohio State taking two (2022, 2024).
"Maybe we'll see them again down the road," Badgers co-captain Caroline Harvey said after Saturday's loss, hinting at a possible Midwestern rivalry rematch in the Frozen Four's national title game. "We'll look forward to that if that's the case."
How to watch the 2026 NCAA women's ice hockey tournament
Division I's best will hit the ice beginning with Yale vs. Minnesota Duluth at 6 PM ET on Thursday.
All tournament games will air live on ESPN+, with the network elevating the March 22nd championship game to ESPNU.
The PWHL is going national, with the third-year league announcing Thursday that it will air its first-ever nationally broadcast game on US linear television later this month.
The New York Sirens and Montréal Victoire's upcoming Takeover Tour matchup at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will air live on ION on Saturday, March 28th, reaching more than 126 million households in an effort to expand "the visibility and viability of women's sports across the country."
While PWHL games air live across Canada on TSN, the league has yet to secure a full-time broadcast partner in the US, relying instead on local media deals and YouTube streaming.
Game sponsor Ally — a longtime investor in women's sports — will pull double-duty as the presenting sponsor of the historic broadcast as well, with the Detroit-based financial services company partnering with ION parent company Scripps Sports to give the Tour stop a national platform.
The PWHL is looking to build on Team USA's Olympic momentum after February's gold medal win over Canada averaged a record 5.3 million viewers — marking a watershed moment for women's hockey in North America.
"Fan interest in women's hockey is at an all-time high," said Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor in a statement, calling the company "thrilled...to bring the excitement of this league to a national audience for the first time."
How to watch the 1st-ever nationally televised PWHL game
The New York Sirens will take on the Montréal Victoire in Detroit at 1 PM ET on Saturday, March 28th, airing live on ION.
ESPN will exclusively present the 2026 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship starting March 12th, with most games streaming live on ESPN+. This month's ice hockey tournament features 11 teams competing for the national title, with the championship game set for March 22nd.
Regional semifinals tip off Thursday, March 12th, followed by regional finals Saturday, March 14th., all streaming exclusively across ESPN platforms. The Frozen Four semifinals then take the ice on March 20th and 22nd, closing out the tournament at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania.
No. 1 seed Ohio State (34-4-0) opens its regional campaign on Saturday at 6 PM ET on ESPN+. The Buckeyes finished as runners-up last season, going on to earn the No. 1 overall seed after defeating Wisconsin 2-1 at the WCHA championship.
No. 2 seed Wisconsin will defend its eighth national championship this year, after the Badgers won the 2025 title with a 4-3 overtime victory over Ohio State. The programs have alternated national championships over the last five seasons, while meeting in the title game for the last three consecutive years.
Penn State earned the No. 3 seed, after the Nittany Lions claimed their fourth straight Atlantic Hockey America title behind the nation's top-scoring defense at 1.35 goals per game.
Minnesota grabbed the No. 4 seed, while Northeastern rounds out this year's automatic berths. Five conferences earned bids, with six at-large teams set to battle through the tournament's opening round.
How to Watch the 2026 NCAA Women's Hockey Tournament on ESPN+
The tournament starts tonight at 6 PM ET, live on ESPN+, with the championship game airing Sunday, March 22 at 4 PM ET on ESPNU.
All coverage will also stream on the ESPN App via direct-to-consumer or pay TV authentication.