Color of Hockey: Roberts set to sing Sirens' song in PWHL

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 former Penn State women’s hockey forward Katelyn Roberts, who was selected by the New York Sirens in the fourth round (No. 43) in the 2026 Professional Women's Hockey League Draft.

Katelyn Roberts’ summer plans changed dramatically.

The former Penn State University forward thought she would use the time to relax, decompress and contemplate her post-college future.

Then the New York Sirens selected her in the fourth round (No. 43) of the 2026 Professional Women’s Hockey League Draft in Detroit on June 17. 

“I got to talk with (Sirens coach Greg) Fargo pretty quickly after the draft," she said, "and kind of learned about what he wants from me this year and kind of what I can improve on, what he wants me to keep doing and bring over from Penn State.

“So summer was spending time with friends and family relaxing, while also kind of putting my foot on the gas.”

The 22-year-old from Chanhassen, Minnesota, got busy, ramping up to work out four days a week on the ice and five days a week in the gym in preparation for the Sirens’ training camp that begins at Essex County Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey on Nov. 18.

Roberts also skated in Da Beauty League -- a summer hockey league in Edina, Minnesota, that featured NHL, PWHL and collegiate players with ties to Minnesota. The 4-on-4 league, which played its final game in August, gave her the opportunity to play with and compete against some of the PWHL’s best players.

She was teammates with Minnesota Frost center Taylor Fox, a PWHL first team all-star last season, and expansion PWHL Detroit center Britta Curl, who was a second-team all-star with the Frost last season. Each skated with the U.S. women’s team that won the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“It was a ton of fun because there was a lot of talent on the ice,” Roberts said. “It also kind of helped me, even though it was a little run and gun, gauge just how talented these people are and what I can improve on. 

"You see in some of the best players a lot of the things that I feel like I still have to work on come second nature to some of them. Getting to that point where that also comes second nature to me will help me improve my game at the next level.”

Roberts tied for fifth among Penn State scorers last season with 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 39 games. She set a single-season program record with seven game-winning goals, which were the most in Atlantic Hockey America and tied for second nationally. 

Roberts was an alternate captain for the Nittany Lions, who reached the NCAA Division I women’s Frozen Four for the first time with the tournament fortuitously played on its State College, Pennsylvania, campus.

In the national semifinal, Penn State lost 4-3 in overtime to Wisconsin, which went on to defeat Ohio State 3-2 for the national championship.

The women’s Frozen Four capped a collegiate career for Roberts that began with Penn State coach Jeff Kampersal imploring her early on to be selfish and take more shots to utilize her offensive gifts.

She responded by becoming the sixth player to reach 100 points (103 points; 43 goals, 60 assists in 153 games) in the women’s program’s history.

“After about the millionth time he said it, I thought, ‘Maybe I should probably start listening to him,’” Roberts said with a laugh.

Roberts had an inkling her stats were good enough for her to be selected in the PWHL draft, but she had no expectations when she attended the event in Detroit.

“Just because it was a time when the league was developing so much,” she said. “They had just announced four new teams (Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, San Jose) and all new format changes to the league, so I didn't really understand kind of where I stood within my draft class and really where the league was headed. I was hopeful and I was confident in my game that I was definitely good enough to be drafted. But you never know how it's going to go.”

Roberts said she’s proud to have been part of one of the most diverse PWHL drafts in the league’s three-season history.

Five other players of color were selected: Wisconsin defender/forward Laila Edwards, who became the first Black woman to play with the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team at Milano Cortina in February, was selected by San Jose with the No. 4 pick; Hamilton chose Brown University forward Jade Iginla, daughter of Hockey Hall of Fame forward Jarome Iginla and sister of NHL prospects Tij and Joe Iginla, in the second round (No. 18).

Vancouver chose Northeastern University defender Jules Constantinople, who is Puerto Rican, in the third round (No. 25); Seattle selected Quinnipiac University forward Emerson Jarvis, who is Metis with roots from Sawridge Cree Nation, in the third round (No. 26); and University of Connecticut goalie Tia Chan, a Hamilton, Ontario, native who played for China at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, was taken by San Jose in the third round (No. 28).

“The league has grown so much and is developing so much right now,” Roberts said. “And with Laila being drafted and being as amazing as she is, and Jada Iginla … and then myself, that brings another fan base to the league that might not be touched right now. As the league continues to grow, it’s attracting a new and more culturally diverse fan base. I'm really excited for that.”

Edwards, Iginla and Chan have signed contracts with their PWHL teams. Roberts said she understands that, as a later pick in the draft, she needs to prove herself at training camp.

“There is a little bit of added extra stakes now going into this this new chapter,” she said. “But I've been working for it all summer. I feel ready to step into the role that I need to be in. I know that I'm good enough to be out there. You just have to kind of show it and play it and calm your mind down when you step on the ice.”

If Roberts earns a Sirens roster spot, she would love to work with New York area programs like Hockey in New Jersey  and Ice Hockey in Harlem to help the sport grow further in diverse communities.

She said she enjoyed being a role model at Penn State and at home, where she was a volunteer coach for MN Unbounded, a program co-founded in 2021 by Meredith Lang and former Bemidji State defender Tina Kampa for girls of color in the state.

“It presents such a huge opportunity for myself to continue to make an impact and grow the game to people who might not have access to it or just not as aware of it,” she said. “So I really do look forward to getting to do something with either of those programs, hopefully both of them, if I make a team.”