{"id":2392,"date":"2026-06-18T05:38:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T05:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2392"},"modified":"2026-06-18T05:38:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T05:38:44","slug":"san-jose-picks-laila-edwards-no-4-overall-in-pwhl-amateur-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2392","title":{"rendered":"San Jose picks Laila Edwards No. 4 overall in PWHL amateur draft"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PWHL San Jose may have a star after all.<\/p>\n

With the fourth overall pick in the entry draft on Wednesday, the expansion club selected defender Laila Edwards, one of the most popular players in women\u2019s hockey following her excellent career with Wisconsin and the U.S. national team\u2019s Olympic gold medal run this winter.<\/p>\n

Read more San Jose cop cleared in shooting of armed mentally ill man<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so excited, I think it\u2019s an incredible market,\u201d Edwards said during the broadcast. \u201cThey already have some good players. I like the staff and I\u2019m really excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards is a three-time NCAA champion from Cleveland Heights, Ohio who has become one of the most electric young players in the country. She posted 12 goals with 33 assists in 28 games for the national champion Wisconsin Badgers in her senior year.<\/p>\n

She became the first-ever Black woman to represent the U.S. women\u2019s national hockey team at the Olympics in Italy this winter. She also was the MVP of the 2024 IIHF Women\u2019s World Championship at 20 years old, becoming the youngest player to ever earn that honor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible honor,\u201d she said of the history she has continued to make. \u201cTo continue to make history, representation matters. To make that history is an honor and it\u2019s what motivates me the most\u2026 The support from the crowd gives me chills, to feel I made an impact to the game. I\u2019m really excited and still so nervous to be honest. The opportunity to use my platform to grow the game is so cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

She is a right-shot defender and had the hardest shot in the NCAA, adding some depth to a left-heavy blueline for San Jose. At 6-foot-1, she is also the tallest player in PWHL history.<\/p>\n

Edwards has also played forward in the past, but has more experience as a defender, her position of choice. As a junior, Edwards led the nation with 35 goals, so she can bring a dynamic option to San Jose.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI feel like I trust (head coach and general manager Troy Ryan) enough, we haven\u2019t had the conversation yet,\u201d Edwards said about which position she\u2019ll play. \u201cI feel like we both know each other so well, we\u2019ve talked in the past, we\u2019ve always had so much respect for each other. Game respects game. I\u2019m excited to get to know him even better. I hope to make San Jose proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards said she has only been to San Jose once for the Rivalry Series \u2013 going against Ryan \u2013 but said she \u201cfell in love\u201d with the city and could see herself living there.<\/p>\n

Read more Valkyries instant analysis: Chen provides spark as Golden State downs Wings at home<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy the way the world works,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old is a fan favorite across hockey and got some of the loudest cheers in the area when her selection was announced. She and her Wisconsin teammate and Vancouver first overall pick Caroline Harvey went viral for their TikToks from the Olympics.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

She is aware of that status, and it means a lot to her, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully I\u2019ll have a fan in every building I play in,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cI want to represent San Jose in every game, but just as importantly, I want to represent the league well. It motivates me to be the best version of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

With their No. 16 pick San Jose took Ohio State forward Sloane Matthews, who won two national championships with the Buckeyes, and scored 20 goals with 24 assists last season. San Jose then took UConn goaltender Tia Chan in the third round, just the second goalie to be selected in the evening.<\/p>\n

The South Bay team added more firepower in the fourth round with Northeastern forward Lily Shanahan, chosen with the 40th pick. With the Huskies she scored 19 goals with 24 assists.<\/p>\n

San Jose finished its draft by selecting Cornell forward\u00a0McKenna Van Gelder in the fifth round and Providence forward\u00a0Reichen Kirchmair in the sixth round. Van Gelder had 13 points and 10 assits last season while Kirchmair tallied 14 goals and 11 assists.<\/p>\n

The draft order for the four expansion clubs was determined by a randomized draw. Vancouver selected U.S. Olympic gold-medal winner Harvey with the first overall pick, making her the first blueliner to be selected in that spot in PWHL history.<\/p>\n

San Jose will be able to sign free agents with the rest of the league starting on June 19.<\/p>\n

PWHL SAN JOSE DRAFT PICKS<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. (4th overall): Laila Edwards, defender, Wisconsin
\n2. (16th): Sloane Matthews, forward, Ohio State
\n3. (28th): Tia Chan, goalie, UConn
\n4. (40th): Lily Shannon, forward, Northeastern
\n5. (52nd): McKenna Van Gelder, forward, Cornell
\n6. (64th): Reichen Kirchmair, forward, Providence<\/p>\n

Read more SF Giants sweep split doubleheader behind three homers, Whisenhunt\u2019s strong season debut<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bay Area’s PWHL team adds gold medal-winning defender in Edwards, who played collegiately at Wisconsin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nSan Jose picks Laila Edwards No. 4 overall in PWHL amateur draft - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2392\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"San Jose picks Laila Edwards No. 4 overall in PWHL amateur draft - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bay Area's PWHL team adds gold medal-winning defender in Edwards, who played collegiately at Wisconsin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2392\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-18T05:38:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2392#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2392\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"San Jose picks Laila Edwards No. 4 overall in PWHL amateur draft\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-18T05:38:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2392\"},\"wordCount\":810,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2392#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c9247ddea035860e3acfc36d9572b523.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2392#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2392\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=2392\",\"name\":\"San Jose picks Laila Edwards No. 4 overall in PWHL amateur draft - 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