On Apr. 23, 2025 the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced Vancouver as the destination for the first expansion team in league history.
The Vancouver Goldeneyes have learned hard lessons in their inaugural season’s first half, but determination ultimately persists in hopes of winning the ultimate prize — The Walter Cup — to wrap up the year. The Cascade got the chance to speak with Goldeneyes’ Captain Ashton Bell about the team’s growth, what playing in Vancouver means, and what she expects from the group in the second half of the season.
Vancouver is new to the league, but the hockey fervour only continues to grow in the city with the entrance of a professional women’s team. Captain Bell had no doubts that Vancouver would be a great place to play.
“Incredible, [it] has exceeded all of my expectations. I knew bringing hockey out West would be a success. But here in Vancouver, it’s something special, and something that I could have never imagined. Just the immediate support from the fans and the energy at the Pacific Coliseum for all our home games has been incredible, and it’s so fun to be a part of it and to get to play in front of them.”
Along with developing culture for a brand new team, Bell has had her own personal journey being named the first captain in franchise history. The Cascade asked her how she has been adjusting to the role.
“That was a huge honour, to be named the captain, here among so many incredible leaders in this league and among our team as well. I think after the first half, it took a bit to kind of settle with this being an expansion team and being a new group.”
The Olympic break has allowed a necessary reset for the team which will allow them to re-focus for the second half of the season. When asked about the benefits of the break, Bell commented on the importance of rest, as well as the benefits of practice and community engagement.
“I think a break is always tough, but there’s definitely lots of positives to take from it. We were on the road a lot in that first half, so I think this break kind of came at a good time.
“We’re [going to] take advantage of these couple weeks. We still have a decent crew and we’re able to kind of have full team practices still and focus a little more on positional skill work and with that also, just getting to spend some time in the community, getting out, doing some outreaches and having some work bonding activities, which we didn’t have a lot of time to do in that first half.”
After the Olympic break, the league will resume its season. Bell, who gained playoff experience with the Ottawa Charge last year, is pushing for a playoff spot. She highlighted how every game after the break matters.
“We want to get points where we can kind of solidify our spot in the playoffs. So we know what we have to do, and we know that [we have to make] the most of these two weeks and [be] ready once the full group is back, [so] on March 1st we’re prepared and we’re ready. We want to hit the ground running then and make something with the standings.”
The first season hasn’t been the easiest for the Goldeneyes, but Bell commended her group’s collective effort.
“A lot was thrown at us in the beginning, and we kind of went through some ups and downs, but I think we stuck together. We held each other tighter through that adversity. And I think we were patient and trusted the process and knew that eventually, it would pay out.
“We have good core values and identity on who we want to be now heading into this last half.”
Despite an arduous season with shuffles in standings, player injuries, and trying to shape the identity of a franchise, Bell and the Goldeneyes are hopeful. The Captain believes in her group and is hopeful about playoff chances.
“The goal is to make the playoffs and we’re hoping to do that, and know that by being here in Vancouver, we can definitely make a push for it. We have a lot of experienced players in this locker room. We know that it comes down to that last game and it comes down to one or two points. So every game matters from here on out.”
