Luisa and Lilli Welcke and Their Pursuit of the Professional Dream
The twin sisters left Germany at the age of 16 and never stopped challenging themselves to become the best and inspire the next generation.
There are so many reasons why this was such an exciting interview for me. I’ve been following Boston University forwards Luisa and Lilli Welcke over the past couple of years through my coverage of the Beanpot, an annual tournament in the Boston area that sees each of the Boston universities (Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern) go head-to-head. Every shift, the twins were noticeable as they created dynamic plays and were often two of the most dangerous players out on the ice.
In this conversation, which took place following their participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics and before their declaration in the 2026 PWHL Draft, we spoke about how they started to learn to skate at Christmas markets back home in Heidelberg, Germany, the obstacles they both faced when it came to the perception of girls playing hockey, and their decision to leave home and come to North America. We also talk about their growth at Boston University and the future of women’s hockey with the growth of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
One of the many things that stood out to me about this conversation was their honesty. Both Luisa and Lilli were upfront about how challenging it was early on for them back in Germany, as well as what ultimately made Boston University feel like such a good fit both on and off the ice.
Both Luisa and Lilli Welcke will be heading to PWHL camps this fall as camp invitees, and it’s easy to see why. Here’s a breakdown of their collegiate careers.
Luisa played in 87 career games with BU, recording 17 goals and 38 points, and was named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team twice (2022-23 and 2023-24) and crowned Hockey East Champion in 2024-25.
Lilli recorded 12 goals and 35 points over her 86 career games at BU while also being named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team and Hockey East Champion, just like her sister.
This was a conversation I dreamed of when I first started Rinkside Rundown, so I’m thrilled to finally share it with everyone. Luisa and Lilli Welcke have a tremendous professional career ahead of them, and I cannot wait to cheer them on.
You can watch the full interview on YouTube here.
Do you know which team(s) invited them, assuming they've already accepted invites?