Colorado College senior goalie Kaiden Mbereko is an established star in the nets. He is one of four team captains on this season’s Tigers squad. “We’re all going to have each other’s backs and obviously have our teammates’ backs,” said the 5’11” Mbereko, a business, economics and sociology major from Aspen, Colo.
One of the top goalies in the NCHC, Mbereko is a three-time all-academic team member, including last season being named a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete by the conference in 2024-25.
“I think I only have two more classes and then my thesis,” he pointed out when the MSR asked him about his degree progress during the NCHC media day in September. He added that he’s “very, very grateful for the time here at CC, and for them to give me the opportunity to get a degree from this place.”
Additionally, Mbereko is a rare sight in hockey — a Black goaltender. “This game is bigger than me,” he said.
“There’s a ton of voices and tons of eyes watching me, but again I’m just trying to be myself through that, and just trying to inspire as many people as I can with what I do. Just share my voice and just share some words of encouragement, and hopefully do what I can to try and get the sport more welcoming.”
“I think it’s important for the future of our game that it continues to grow, and it continues to be more inclusive and more available.”
The latest NCAA demographics show that there were 36 Black men’s hockey players and 16 Black female hockey players in 2025.
Wisconsin senior defense/forward Laila Edwards from Cleveland Heights, Ohio helped the Badgers to the NCAA national title in 2025. She and older sister Chayla, both on UW’s 2023 national championship team, were the first Black sisters duo in Badgers hockey history.
Laila Edwards also became the first Black woman to play for the U.S. Senior National team; she played on the U.S. team that won gold in the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)World Championships, the only Sistah on the squad.
Last month Edwards again will be the only Black player on Team USA for the 2025 Hockey Rivalry Series against Team Canada — the first two games at Cleveland Nov. 6 and Buffalo, N.Y. Nov. 8, then in Edmonton, Canada on Dec. 10 and 13.
Last weekend at the new Lee & Peggy Anderson Arena, St. Thomas and Providence played a two-game series to open the Tommies’ new on-campus home. Each squad had a Black player — Andover, MN native Charlie Schoen for the hosts, and Donovan McCoy of Belleville, Ontario for the visitors.
“I think it’s important for the future of our game that it continues to grow, and it continues to be more inclusive and more available,” said Colorado College HC Kris Mayotte, who has recruited Mbereko and a couple of other Black players during his tenure.
Affordability, such as equipment, ice time, and youth team fees also remains an economic obstacle for some Blacks to overcome, said St. Thomas Assistant Coach Leon Hayward, now in his fifth season at UST. According to the NCAA, he is the only Black assistant coach in college hockey in 2025, while 354 assistants are white.
“I think it’s definitely improved,” said Hayward on hockey’s diversity. “I think you’re seeing a lot of players of color all over the country and in Canada. I think hockey in general is still just so expensive for anyone that it’s prohibitive for some families to just get started.
“I still think, just in general, for the sport, finding ways to lower costs and lower barriers of entry are really important to grow the game for everybody,” surmised Hayward. “But I think for players of color it’s a harder sell in other parts of the country just because of the access.”
“I think people that just look like me in the sport in general have grown so much,” concluded Mbereko.
More on Leon Hayward in a future MSR edition.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.