‘Team-First’ Mentality Highlights Goldeneyes Captain Ashton Bell’s Leadership Qualities

(Nancy Shields-THN)

When the Vancouver Goldeneyes selected defender Ashton Bell first-overall in the 2025 PWHL Expansion Draft, they ultimately made a decision that would impact the trajectory of their locker room. Their first selection turned out to be none-other than their franchise’s first captain.

In the months that followed, Bell signed a two-year extension that will keep her in Vancouver for two seasons after this one, helped present the team’s inaugural-season jerseys, and played a key role in revealing the Goldeneyes identity as a whole at their name and logo reveal.

In some ways, the signs pointing towards Bell becoming the team’s first captain were always there. The team’s first pick. A multi-year extension signed early on. Public association with the franchise’s identity.

Those barely scratch the surface of what it means to be a captain.

There are intangibles on-and-off the ice that define the best leaders. Stepping up for the team when they need it most. Keeping things steady in the locker room. Taking care of their teammates. Bell may not be the most prominent presence on the scoresheet, but in her role, making sure things are settled on the back-end takes priority.

In Tuesday night’s high-stakes matchup, the Goldeneyes defeated the Seattle Torrent by a score of 4–1, extending Vancouver’s playoff hopes for another day. While Hannah Miller notched her 50th-career point in the PWHL and Maddy Samoskevich scored her first PWHL goal, it was Bell who coolly flew under the radar with a two-point effort that earned her third-star honours.

“Ashton’s a great leader. She’s everything that you ask for. She’s team-first. She’s very caring and nurturing to her other teammates, and she’s always doing what’s best for the group,” Goldeneyes Head Coach Brian Idalski said of the team’s captain on Tuesday night. “Obviously, going through the trials and tribulations of an expansion year, Ashton just continues to grow as a player and a person. I think this year has presented a lot of challenges, and I think she’s just grown a ton, because having to deal with some of these things and lead when things aren’t going great, just speaks to her character and what the future holds for her as a person.”

“Ashton shows up every day and is so consistent, both on and off the ice. We know exactly what we’re going to get from her,” Goldeneyes goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer said of her teammate on Tuesday. “She happened to get a couple assists tonight, but there’s no surprise there. She shows up every single day and definitely earns her points, but it’s about the stuff that’s not on the scoreboard that you don’t see. She’s a great leader and a great human being, and we’re just proud of her.”