February 10, 2025
Black Women Gaining Interest In College Hockey
The number of Black women playing college hockey is steadily rising.
More Black women have been entering hockey at the college level, according to NHL.com.
In a sport that has low numbers of Black athletes on the college and professional level, Black women athletes in hockey have risen in the past decade.
According to a NCAA demographic database, in 2015, nine Black women were on the rosters of hockey teams in the NCAA. In 2019, it was four. But this season at least 13 players are currently on rosters in Division I and Division III schools.
Kelsey Koelzer is a former Princeton University player who became the first Black woman to coach an NCAA hockey team. In 2016, she became the first Black player to be chosen No. 1 in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). She, along with other people involved in the sport, sees the growth.
“As I’m recruiting, I feel I’m constantly shocked that it’s getting less and less out of the ordinary to see girls that are getting recruited to NCAA [Division I] who are (Black),” said Koelzer, who is the coach of Arcadia University’s new women’s hockey team. “I think it’s a really hopeful sign.”
The Black women hockey players for this current season are, University of Wisconsin defenseman Chayla Edwards, Clarkson University defenseman Avery Mitchell, University of New Hampshire forward Tamara Thierus, Syracuse University forward Rayla Clemons, Lindenwood University forward Jada Burke, Finlandia University defenseman India Charles, Yale University forward Kiersten Goode, Augsburg University forward Kensie Malone, State University of New York-Plattsburgh defenseman Sierra Benjamin, Nazareth College forward Maria Di Cresce, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute forward Asiah Taylor-Waters, Lindenwood University defenseman Teagan Heaslip, and Dartmouth College forward Jennifer Costa.
Blake Bolden, the first Black player in the NWHL in 2015 and the first Black first-round draft pick in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League in 2013, is excited about the pending change.
“Girls hockey has grown tremendously over the last few years, so I think it’s inevitable that there would be more diversity in the game. Not tons, but it’s an improvement, so that’s good.”
Bolden also became the first Black female NHL pro scout when the Los Angeles Kings hired her in February 2020.
“This past year, I have had numerous calls with prep schools that I’ve been to and that I’ve worked with just wanting to be more educated in supporting diverse individuals and players,” she said.
With recruitment efforts geared toward more diversity, the change may help draw more girls and women to the sport.
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