Defender Ashton Bell named 1st captain of the PWHL's Vancouver Goldeneyes

Defender Ashton Bell will be the first player to wear the captain's C on her sweater for the PWHL's Vancouver Goldeneyes.

The team unveiled its leadership group on Friday morning, hours before the puck is set to drop on the Goldeneyes' inaugural season. NSL champion and Vancouver Rise FC captain Shannon Woeller helped make the announcement.

Bell, a 25-year-old from Deloraine, Man., was a huge part of the Ottawa Charge's run to the Walter Cup final last season on pairing with veteran defender, Jocelyne Larocque. She's an Olympic gold medallist with the Canadian national team and a three-time world champion.

The defender was taken by Vancouver with the first pick in the expansion draft, and is signed for two seasons with the Goldeneyes.

Vancouver GM Cara Gardner Morey said Bell's leadership abilities were a big part of the reason the team chose her with the top pick in the expansion draft.

"She is a professional, one that leads by example while taking care of her teammates," Gardner Morey said in a statement.

Bell will be joined in the leadership group by defender Claire Thompson and forward Sarah Nurse, who will be alternate captains.

Both were signed by Vancouver during the expansion draft signing period, and like Bell, both are Olympic gold medallists with Team Canada.

Thompson, a 27-year-old from Toronto, returned to professional hockey last season after time away at medical school. In her first PWHL campaign, she won the Walter Cup with the Minnesota Frost and was a finalist for the league's defender of the year award.

Here's everything you need to know about Vancouver's new PWHL team

"Claire is one of the best captains I’ve worked with," Gardner Morey said. "She balances being fun and light-hearted with being a