U18 Women’s Hockey Worlds: After long wait, ‘relentless’ U.S. team is ready to play

Ahead of the 2022 Women’s U18 Ice Hockey World Championship (June 6-13) in Madison, Wisconsin, On Her Turf caught up with two members of this year’s U.S. team: alternate captains Kirsten Simms (Plymouth, Mich.) and Laila Edwards (Cleveland Heights, Ohio).

This week’s tournament will mark the first IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship since before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Simms was a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. team in 2020, while Edwards is making her U18 world championship debut. Both players just completed their senior year of high school — and are missing their graduation ceremonies because of the tournament — and will continue their hockey careers as teammates at the University of Wisconsin. 

This Q&A has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity. On Her Turf’s guide to the 2022 U18 Women’s World Championship — which includes a full tournament schedule and details on how to watch — can be found here. 

On Her Turf: What does it mean for both of you to be on the U.S. roster for this year’s U18 Women’s World Championship? 

Kirsten Simms: It’s a huge honor to be on this team, especially with the tournament being held in Madison. I’m super excited to get going.

Laila Edwards: To play in this tournament is a dream that doesn’t feel real yet. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and it’s finally here.

On Her Turf: Kirsten, you’re one of two players (along with Danielle Burgen) on this U.S. team that also competed at U18 Worlds in 2020. What was that experience like for you? 

Simms: Being on that team two years ago was obviously a huge honor, especially being so young. It was such a good experience getting to play with girls older than me and girls that I looked up to my entire life… It’s a little bit