Chyna Taylor Is the 2025 SportsKid of the Year

A former figure skater, the trailblazing Louisville native is poised to become the new face of hockey—and she’s only 16.

Chyna Taylor, who plays at the Lovell Academy in Massachusetts, committed to Wisconsin for college hockey. / Jeffery A. Salter/Sports Illustrated

It would be easy to look at hockey phenom Chyna Taylor’s résumé and assume she was SportsKid of the Year material from the start. In 2024, when she was just 15, Chyna was the youngest player on the U-18 national team. That made her the first person from Kentucky to play at the national level in men’s or women’s hockey. And at the world championships in 2025, she was named best player for her team when the U.S. took home silver against Canada.

At Lovell Academy in Massachusetts, where she lives and trains, Chyna holds the records—boys and girls—for most goals, assists and points by a defenseman. (She had 110 points last year, a total she passed by mid-December this season.) “She’s the best in the country,” says Caitrin Lonergan, the girls’ coach at Lovell. But like any good mentor and coach, Lonergan puts that into a healthy perspective. “But she wasn’t always.” 

Chyna grew up playing hockey in Louisville on coed teams and was known for being a great skater, with good edge work and an incredible feel for the ice. Those were things she picked up from figure skating, which she started at age 4, but her hockey skills were underdeveloped. “We recruited her last,” says Lonergan. Once at Lovell, her athleticism—she had a 27-inch vertical leap at age 12—quickly set her apart. By the time she was 14 she was the best player on the best team in the country.

Kentucky isn’t known for turning out hockey players, and Chyna certainly stands out in a sport that is predominantly white. When she spends time at home in Louisville, she says it’s incredible to see the support. Scholarships from groups like the Black Girl Hockey Club and Black Bear Youth Hockey Foundation also demonstrate her community’s pride and belief in what she can do. Only three Black women currently play in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, making Chyna’s visible excellence all the more important as the sport strives to become more inclusive. As she steps into bigger roles and the pressure builds, Chyna’s passion for the game helps tune out the noise. “It can be stressful,” she says. “But I just love to play.”  

Read the full SI Kids story on Chyna Taylor here.