Lilli Welcke
German ice hockey player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lilli Welcke (born 29 April 2002) is a German ice hockey player. She has played on the German national ice hockey team since 2022. Welcke participated in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics.[1]
| Lilli Welcke | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
29 April 2002 Heidelberg, Germany | ||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb; 10 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| HE team Former teams |
Boston University Terriers Maine Black Bears Mad Dogs Mannheim | ||
| National team |
 Germany | ||
| Playing career | 2016–present | ||
Playing career
College
Welcke began her college ice hockey career in the 2022–23 season with the Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey program in the Hockey East (HEA) conference of the NCAA Division I. She was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Month for December 2022 after leading all HEA rookies in November with six points on one goal and five assists.[2] She earned 21 points on six goals and fifteen assists in her first NCAA season and was an unanimous selection to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.[3]
Ahead of the 2023–24 season, she transferred within the HEA conference to the Boston University Terriers women's ice hockey program. In her first season with the Terriers, Welcke tallied ten points on one goal and nine assists. As a junior in the 2024–25 season, she led the Terriers in faceoff wins and scored seventeen points (5+12).[4]
International play
As a junior player with the German national under-18 team, Welcke participated in four IIHF U18 Women's World Championship – three Division 1 Group A tournaments and one Top Division tournament. At the Top Division tournament in 2018, she tied as Germany's point leader with two goals and two assists.
Welcke made her debut with the senior national team in the qualification tournament for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Though Germany failed to qualify, Welcke led the team in scoring with two goals and two assists across three games.
She has represented Germany at the IIHF Women's World Championship in 2022, 2024, and 2025. Welcke was named to the German team for the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship but sustained a lower body injury in a pre-tournament match againt Switzerland and was replaced on the roster by Jule Schiefer.[5]
In the preliminary round of the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Germany prevailed versus France in a 2–1 overtime win.[6] Welcke notched the primary assist on the overtime winner scored by Nina Jobst-Smith.[7]
Personal life
Welcke and her twin sister, Luisa, were born on 29 April 2002 in Heidelberg, Germany. Lilli, Luisa, and their elder sister, Lea, began playing minor ice hockey after participating in an ice hockey camp held at the Heidelberg Christmas Market outdoor rink. Lilli and Luise have played on the same teams throughout their careers.[8][9][10]
An accomplished student-athlete, Welcke was named a Top Scholar-Athlete of the 2022–23 Hockey East All-Academic Team after compiling a perfect 4.0 GPA for the season.[11][12] She continued to achieve at least a 3.0 GPA in the following seasons and was named to the Hockey East All-Academic Teams in 2023–24 and 2024–25.[13][14]
Career statistics
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Germany | U18 D1A | 1st | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Germany | U18 | 8th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2019 | Germany | U18 D1A | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2020 | Germany | U18 D1A | 1st | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2022 | Germany | OGQ | DNQ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Germany | WC | 9th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Germany | WC | 6th | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2025 | Germany | OGQ | Q | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2025 | Germany | WC | 8th | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2026 | Germany | OG | 7th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 10 | ||||
| Senior totals | 20 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 | ||||
