By: Alexis Caines | Follow me on Twitter/X @alexiscaines_
The Welcke twins have already made a name for themselves. They’ve played both internationally and collegiately. Now, they’re trying to break through in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Luisa and her identical twin, Lilli, have both been invited to PWHL camps, but separately. Lilli will head to Minnesota with the Frost, while Luisa will attend Boston Fleet camp. It’s the first time that they’ll be on different teams.
Luisa, like her twin, is making her return to Boston, having previously played three seasons for the Boston University Terriers. In 87 games, she recorded 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points.
The twins went undrafted in the 2026 PWHL Entry Draft, allowing them to both be free agents. They currently are playing overseas in the Deutsche Frauen Eishockey Liga for Mannheim. They’ll both return to the U.S. to attend their respective camps.
The two also suited up for Team Germany in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games. They’ve played for Germany at different levels since 2016, but it was their first Olympic games, and hopefully not their last. Luisa suited up for five games in Milan and recorded three assists.
With the new roster guidelines, the Boston Fleet can only sign up to five more players to round out their season roster. Luisa Welcke can bring an important depth roll for the Fleet should they sign her.
Welcke could also reunite with Terrier teammate Maeve Kelly, who Boston drafted in the sixth round. Rolling them out together could be a huge boost, given their familiarity.
Luisa spoke candidly about how competitive they were brought up to be in Germany. “We’ve struggled with coaches that would just support the boys on the team, but not girls,” she said to Nischal Schwager-Patel for the Olympics. “They already told us that there’s no future in hockey for girls.”
Luisa continued by stating, “It just made us more competitive because we wanted to prove them wrong, prove that we can play with the boys. It really helped us to have that goal in front of us and just wanting to reach it even more. But at some point, it made us realise that we have to go somewhere else to accomplish our dreams.”
The PWHL could be the perfect place for the two to continue building their legacy. Though they’ll be apart, they still have the chance to continue their careers together, this time on opposite ends of the ice.
Luisa can bring offensive talent to Boston. They don’t need her to be a flashy talent, but if they can continue to develop her into a two-way forward for the Fleet, she can be a huge boost to the roster.
Though there is no more reserve roster, Welcke could see elevated playing time in the event of another forward injury. By starting her as more of a depth player, she’ll have optimal time to figure out how she fits into the system and overall, be an asset for the team.
It won’t be an easy task figuring out who gets the remaining five roster slots. It’s likely the Boston Fleet will sign another goaltender and up to 2-3 more skaters at each position.
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