Kelsey DiClaudio Aims to Leverage Her Laureus Award Nomination to Raise Awareness for Women’s Sled Hockey
Kelsey DiClaudio received a text a few months back containing a “congratulations” message from Dan Brennan, the director of Para national hockey teams for USA Hockey.
Initially uncertain about its significance, she later checked her email and discovered details regarding her nomination for an annual award.
“It was a complete shock to me,” she remarked.
The 28-year-old from Pittsburgh was among six nominees for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.
“It’s a huge honor,” DiClaudio stated. “I wasn’t anticipating any of this. It all took me by surprise. But just being mentioned alongside the athletes invited to this event is a significant honor for me.”
The Laureus World Sports Awards recognize and celebrate the world’s top athletes, highlighting the inspirational influence of sport and its capacity to transform lives.
DiClaudio’s fellow nominees include Paralympians: swimmers David Kratochvíl (Czechia), Gabriel Araújo (Brazil), and Simone Barlaam (Italy), along with track-and-field athletes Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) and Kiara Rodríguez (Ecuador). Araújo was announced as the 2026 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability winner on Monday.
DiClaudio was awarded MVP honors at the inaugural World Para Ice Hockey Women’s Championships last year in Slovakia, where she topped the tournament in scoring with 11 goals and 15 points. She netted four goals in Team USA’s 7-1 win over Canada to clinch the gold medal.
Her first encounter with the U.S. Women’s National Sled Hockey Team occurred at a USA Hockey national disabled festival in 2011, where they competed against men’s teams. By 2015, she became the first woman selected for the U.S. Development Team, prior to the sport being integrated under USA Hockey in 2018.
DiClaudio began playing the sport at the age of 8, marking her first experience with an adapted sport.
“I completely fell in love with it,” DiClaudio expressed. “The sport itself is incredibly fast and physical, and it keeps me focused, which I appreciate.”
She enjoys the speed and dynamic aspects of sled hockey. It’s a game of inches, and she relishes the intensity of needing to perform at her best on the ice.
She participated in practices and tournaments with her local team before eventually joining USA Hockey and the women’s sled hockey program. She also values team sports, noting that she believes she could not perform as she does without the support of her teammates.
“One of the main reasons I stay involved is the community within this sport,” she stated. “It’s so close-knit, and I’ve formed friendships that I now consider family, which I can’t imagine my life without.”
Beyond her statistics and achievements on the ice, sled hockey has helped DiClaudio become a more self-assured individual and has encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone, she noted.
“Hockey has enabled me to thrive in ways that I haven’t been able to in perhaps other areas,” she remarked.
Particularly regarding women’s sled hockey, DiClaudio aims to be a positive representation of the sport.
“To demonstrate that we are present,” she stated. “And we’re advocating for our place. We’re striving for our opportunity at the Paralympics.”
Whether individuals are interested in trying the sport, watching it, know someone who might be interested, or wish to get involved as a coach, DiClaudio emphasized that it all begins with awareness and maintaining the conversation and momentum now that the 2026 Winter Paralympics have concluded.
Competing in the Paralympics remains the ultimate goal for many women participating in sled hockey at the international level.
“My greatest dream is to become a Paralympian in this sport,” DiClaudio stated. “The other girls on my team, as well as those on other nations’ female teams, would likely concur. Our ultimate aim is the Paralympics.
“That’s what we’re consistently focused on, whether during training camps, competitions, world championships, or whatever it may be. Our ultimate goal is the Paralympics, and we genuinely want that to become a reality for us. More importantly, we hope that it becomes a reality for the young girls who play this sport and can aspire to become Paralympians one day.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc
