Hilary Knight is set to make her fifth appearance at the Winter Olympics, but this time she’ll be leading a younger, faster U.S. women’s hockey team that’s favored to win gold at the Milan Cortina Games next month.
The 36-year-old Knight headlined the list Friday when USA Hockey released its 23-player roster for the 2026 women’s team. It’s a group that returns just 11 members from the squad that won silver at the 2022 Beijing Games and features several newcomers, highlighted by defender Laila Edwards.
From Cleveland, the 21-year-old University of Wisconsin senior is set to become the first Black female hockey player to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics.
“It still hasn’t really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true,” Edwards said. “Always had dreams of playing in the pros, but the biggest dream was to go the Olympics, for sure.”
As for Knight, she will set a U.S. women’s hockey record for most Winter Games appearances after winning gold in 2018 and three silver medals. The Seattle Torrent captain previously announced these will be her final Winter Games, while planning to continue her PWHL career.