The Vancouver Goldeneyes have named Canadian Olympic gold medalist Ashton Bell of Deloraine, Manitoba their first team captain in franchise history according to Karissa Donkin of CBC Sports. The announcement came prior to the Goldeneyes’s first game in Professional Women’s Hockey League history, a 4-3 Goldeneyes overtime win over the Seattle Torrent at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Bell won a gold medal for Canada in women’s hockey at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. She had one goal and four assists for five points.
At the 2025 PWHL Expansion Draft, Bell was selected first overall. She has played the last two seasons in the PWHL with Ottawa. In 51 games, she has five goals and eight assists for 13 points, with two penalty minutes.
In Vancouver’s opening PWHL contest, two Canadian Olympic gold medalists scored for the Goldeneyes. They were Sarah Nurse off Burlington, Ontario, and Claire Thompson of Toronto, Ontario. Thompson had one goal and one assist for two points.
Meanwhile, the 2025-26 PWHL season commenced earlier on Friday, with the Toronto Sceptres beating the Minnesota Frost 2-1. The Frost have won the first two Walter Cups in PWHL history. Raygan Kirk of Ste. Anne, Manitoba made 30 saves on 31 shots for her sixth ever PWHL victory.