Edina’s women’s hockey program has recognition across the nation that helps their players be recognized by some of the best hockey colleges in the country. With a great coaching staff to help them get there, these Hornet hockey players have an amazing chance at seeing college ice.

Sixth graders, usually only twelve years old, are old enough to be recruited for college hockey. Scholarships, now more than ever, are on the minds of many serious athletes and their parents. In one way, parents enjoy lower tuition and the pride that comes with the success of their kid, and the athlete is then also very proud to have attained that scholarship. It is a reward for a long time of hard work.

Athletes like sophomore Kylie Roberts from Edina, who has a verbal agreement with Boston University, spent years training for the opportunity. “I put in a lot of training, I shoot pucks and stick handle almost every single day. We do on ice and off ice stuff too,” Roberts said.

The work has gotten Roberts noticed, but the attention wasn’t recent. “For me and a lot of kids, we start getting viewed by college scouts in 6th grade,” Roberts said. In the interview, she explained that it gets harder for kids to get recruited the older they get. There are some rules, however, that are attempting to slow down the process.

The coaching staff at Edina are very involved with getting their players to a higher level. Whether it is support at practices and games or extra training, Edina coaches are helping their players develop for the next level. “We love helping our players get to a new level. Every day in practice and every game we want to make sure we try to develop our girls as much as we can so that we can prepare them for the next level. During the recruiting process we are hands on making the transition as smooth as we can,” Head Coach Sami Reber said.

Edina is known nationwide because of its competitiveness and tradition. “ I think what sets Edina hockey apart from everywhere else in Minnesota, and in the country, is that not only are the players themselves and their competitive drive and skill level, but the tradition that Edina hockey has is unparalleled. A program with so much consistency is unheard of anywhere else in the hockey community,” Edina Junior Katie Davis said.

Even players who haven’t always played for Edina have heard of the program beforehand like Davis found out. “Since I’ve played all over the country, I’m telling almost anyone I know that I play for Edina, [because] everyone knows exactly who I’m talking about,” Katie Davis said.