# Ashton Bell

Ashton Bell (born December 7, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She played college ice hockey at Minnesota Duluth.

## Early life

During high school, she played for the Western Wildcats of the Manitoba AAA Female Midget Hockey League, twice winning the league's Most Valuable Player Award.

## College career

In 2017, she began attending the University of Minnesota Duluth, playing for the university's women's ice hockey programme. She had originally committed to the University of North Dakota but was forced to change plans after UND eliminated its women's hockey programme. 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. 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. She was then named team captain for the 2020–21 season. She was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Month in November 2020.

## Professional career

On September 18, 2023, Bell was drafted in the second round, eighth overall, by PWHL Ottawa in the 2023 PWHL Draft.

## 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. In 2017, she served as the Canadian team captain. 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.
On January 11, 2022, Bell was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team.

## Personal life

Bell studied biology at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She previously graduated from Deloraine High School in Manitoba, competing in the Manitoba High School Rodeo Association alongside her hockey play.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | 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 | – | – | – | – | – |
| NCAA totals | NCAA totals | NCAA totals | 164 | 43 | 76 | 119 | 55 | – | – | – | – | – |
| PWHL totals | PWHL totals | PWHL totals | 24 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |

### International

| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2016 | Canada | U18 | | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | Canada | U18 | | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | Canada | WC | | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | Canada | OG | | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 2022 | Canada | WC | | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Canada | WC | | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| Senior Totals | Senior Totals | Senior Totals | Senior Totals | 28 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0 |

## Awards and honours

| Award | Year | Ref |
| PWHL |||
| PWHL All-Rookie Team | 2024 | |