Ashton Bell
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ashton Julia Bell[1] (born December 7, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain for the Vancouver Goldeneyes of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played for the Ottawa Charge of the PWHL. She played college ice hockey at Minnesota Duluth.
| Ashton Bell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bell with PWHL Ottawa in 2024 | |||
| Born |
December 7, 1999 Deloraine, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Defence/Forward | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| PWHL team Former teams |
Vancouver Goldeneyes Ottawa Charge | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
|
Medal record | |||
Early life
College career
In 2017, she began attending the University of Minnesota Duluth, playing for the university's women's ice hockey programme.[4] She had originally committed to the University of North Dakota but was forced to change plans after UND eliminated its women's hockey programme.[5] She scored 23 points in 35 games in her rookie NCAA year, good for second on her team in scoring. She was moved from forward to defence ahead of the 2019–20 season.[6] She posted a career-high 32 points in 36 games that year, leading all Western Collegiate Hockey Association defenders in scoring and being named to the All-WCHA First Team.[7] She was then named team captain for the 2020–21 season.[8] She was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Month in November 2020.[9]
Professional career
On September 18, 2023, Bell was drafted in the second round, eighth overall, by PWHL Ottawa in the 2023 PWHL Draft.[10]
On June 9, 2025, Bell was drafted first overall by the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the 2025 PWHL Expansion Draft.[11] On August 14, 2025, she signed a two-year contract extension with Vancouver through the 2027–28 season.[12] Bell was named the Goldeneyes' first captain on November 21, 2025.[13]
International career
Bell represented Canada at the 2016 and 2017 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship, scoring a total of eight points in ten games and winning silver twice.[14]
In 2017, she served as the Canadian team captain.[15][16] She was one of 28 players invited to Hockey Canada's Centralization Camp, which represents the selection process for the Canadian women's team that shall compete in Ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[17][18]
On January 11, 2022, Bell was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team.[19][20][21]
Personal life
Bell studied biology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.[22] She previously graduated from Deloraine High School in Manitoba, competing in the Manitoba High School Rodeo Association alongside her hockey play.[23]
Bell is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and is in a relationship with former University of Minnesota-Duluth teammate Nina Jobst-Smith, who was drafted by the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the 2025 PWHL Draft.[24]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | WCHA | 35 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | WCHA | 35 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | WCHA | 36 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | WCHA | 19 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | WCHA | 39 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | PWHL Ottawa | PWHL | 24 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Ottawa Charge | PWHL | 27 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| PWHL totals | 51 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||
International
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| PWHL | ||
| PWHL All-Rookie Team | 2024 | [25] |