Color of Hockey: Taylor touted as being next great women's player

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Chyna Taylor, a 16-year-old defenseman who was named Sports Illustrated Kids 2025 SportsKid of the Year. Taylor plays for Lovell Academy in Massachusetts and will skate for the United States at the 2026 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship in Cape Breton Jan. 10-18.

The new year is off to a flying start for Chyna Taylor.

The 16-year-old defenseman from Louisville, Kentucky, is headed to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to represent the United States for the second time at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship from Jan. 10-18, looking to add a gold medal to the silver she won last year.

She arrives at the tournament fresh from being named Sports Illustrated Kids 2025 SportsKid of the Year on Dec. 30, and joined a roster of previous winners that includes NBA star LeBron James (2000), women’s college basketball phenom JuJu Watkins (2020), retired NFL quarterback Eli Manning (1992), Olympic gymnast Dominque Dawes (1989), Major League Baseball slugger Bryce Harper (2004) and former Little League baseball pitcher/turned New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury (1991).

“I would definitely say it's overwhelming,” Taylor said of the award and returning to the U.S. women’s U18 team. “I mean, it's super exciting for all these opportunities I've been receiving. I mean, I would say I'm more excited than overwhelmed with all of it.”

Taylor is in her fourth season at Lovell Academy in Rockland, Massachusetts, where she has 116 points (46 goals, 70 assists) in 61 games for their U16 AAA and high school hockey teams, eclipsing totals from her previous three seasons. She has 371 points (114 goals, 257 assists) in 301 games at Lovell.

“She’s on pace for a 255-point season,” Lovell coach Caitrin Lonergan said. “For defensemen, she’s broken the goals, assists, points record for boys and girls at Lovell Academy.”

Taylor committed to the University of Wisconsin in June after she had 107 points (26 goals, 81 assists) in 83 games with Lovell’s U16 AAA team last season.

Mark Bechtel, a managing editor for SIKids, said Taylor was the bi-monthly publication’s choice for SportsKid of the Year because of her rapid and improbable rise from a neophyte who began skating and playing hockey in a non-traditional market at 4 years old to the first Kentuckian to play for a U.S. men’s or women’s national team.

“What we try to do with the with SportsKid of the Year is obviously find and tell a good story," Bechtel said, "but we'd also like it to be inspirational and also hopefully aspirational.

“And I think the message here is, ‘There's going to be some point in your life you're going to try to do something, and you might not fit the traditional mold for what it is you're trying to do.' But it's possible. It can be done, because she's showing us.”

U.S. U18 women’s coach Courtney Kennedy said Taylor is more than a feel-good story.

She played her way onto the U.S. team at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship as a 15-year-old, something rare. She had two assists in six games at the tournament and was selected as the best U.S. player in a 3-0 loss to Canada in the gold medal game in Vantaa, Finland on Jan. 12.

“She's a special player,” Kennedy said. “She's humble, and she plays the game with ease. What I mean by ‘ease’ is players like that, they have power, she has a natural power to her, and she knows how to load her power and use her power. She’s so athletic that when she loads up on a pivot, she’s so effortless. She’s got speed, power and the ability to squash a play defensively.”

Kennedy said she believes Taylor is just getting started.

“She's not even close to done cooking, not even close,” Kennedy said. “What we see right now is great, but there is another level, if not a few levels, for her to get through.”

Which is why Taylor said she selected to attend Wisconsin, which has produced a bevy of Olympians, NCAA Frozen Four champions and Black women’s players like sisters Laila and Chayla Edwards and Sarah Nurse.

“They've been a top school for so long, and just like, all these top players that come from the program,” she said. “I just thought they could definitely help me with becoming Olympian and all that.”

Taylor credits a pit crew of supporters for her rise in hockey, including family, teammates and coaches in Kentucky and Massachusetts.

She said she’s also grateful for grants and scholarships she received from organizations like the Black Girl Hockey Club, the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, Bauer Hockey, the Ritchie Hockey Foundation and the Black Bear Youth Hockey Foundation.

“Chyna is an outstanding player, a wonderful person and a shining example of how far dreams can soar if we invest in the next generation,” said Taylor Green, a BGHC board member and director of digital marketing. “From our first interaction with Chyna, we knew instantly that she was determined for greatness. We are certain this will not be Chyna's last accolade, but we certainly hope she takes the time to reflect on all that she has achieved thus far."