PITTSBURGH — In the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, four Pittsburgh Penguins Elite alums – Hannah Bilka, Laila Edwards, Gwyneth Philips, and Ava McNaughton – are representing the U.S. women’s hockey team.
For the 125 young athletes who currently wear Pittsburgh Pens Elite jerseys, these four women are an inspiration.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It may be a little wobbly at first, but athletes on the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 8U team will be gliding down the ice in no time. After all, Olympic dreams start with just the basics.
It wasn’t long ago that Sienna Suisham and Kendra Raypholtz were in their shoes, learning balance and stick-handling from the generations before. But at Mite development clinics, there are two of the female athletes from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite organization leading the charge, as the game of women’s hockey continues to grow.
“My dad grew up in Canada, so he introduced us to the game,” Suisham said. “Today we get to be role models for the younger girls, which is such an inspiration.”
“When I was little, I was usually the only girl on the ice, and the rest were guys. Now you can see how there are so many more girls out here, trying to get better and trying to learn the game,” Raypholtz said.
That next generation trains at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township. Pittsburgh Pens Elite is a Tier 1 hockey program, with 7 girls’ teams and 125 hockey players. Four of those alumnae were named to the Olympic women’s roster.
“I’m in that organization that they were in when they were younger,” said Grace Dickson, a member of the 14U team.
“I just feel so proud,” said Addie Hughan, a member of the 14U team.
Admiration and motivation are just two of the emotions felt by many as these hometown athletes go for the gold, paving the way for more Pittsburgh-area hockey players in the winter games to come.
“I think it’s really, really cool that girls that I’ve looked up to from this organization are on this team, and it’ll be really fun to watch them,” said Lila Karmanos, a member of the 14U team.
“To be able to see in real time, in the last 5 years, the growth of women’s sports and girls’ opportunities and the commitment that so many, including us, are making to treating our girls, our women like the athletes that they are – has been special. It’s been a long time coming,” said Shaun Suisham, girls hockey director for Pittsburgh Pens Elite.
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