Ella Shelton

Ella Shelton (born January 19, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for PWHL New York of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), and member of Canada women's national ice hockey team. She was drafted fourth overall in the 2023 PWHL Draft by New York.

Playing career
Shelton played junior hockey in the Provincial Women's Hockey League for the London Jr. Devilettes. She was a member of the first Devilettes team that had their own arena. In 2016, Shelton skated for Team Ontario's U18 provincial squad.

College
In her freshman season playing college ice hockey for Clarkson University, the 2016–17 season, Shelton recorded six goals and twenty-five points, including assists in both the semifinals and finals of the national tournament, which the Golden Knights won.

As a senior in the 2019–20 season, Shelton was named captain of the Golden Knights, and was named a Second Team All-American and a finalist for the ECAC's Best Defenseman award. Her thirty-three points on the strength of nine goals and twenty-four assists ranked fifth nationally among defencemen.

Professional
Upon graduating from college, Shelton joined the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), where she played two seasons. She was affiliated with the Toronto hub during the 2020–21 season and played with Team Scotiabank during the 2022–23 season.

On September 18, 2023, Shelton was selected in the first round, fourth overall by PWHL New York in the 2023 Draft of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). On October 31, 2023, she signed a three-year contract with the team. On December 21, 2023, Shelton and teammate Alex Carpenter were named the first alternate captains in team history.

On January 1, 2024, against PWHL Toronto, Shelton scored the first goal in PWHL history. She would finish the season with seven goals, with her 21 points good for fifth overall and first among defenders. She and New York placed last in the regular season.

International play
Shelton was named to the Canadian contingent that participated at the Nations Cup in Fussen, Germany in January 2018, which saw her call fellow Clarkson Golden Knight Loren Gabel a teammate. Losing both games in the preliminary round to send them to the fifth-place match, the Canadians defeated Germany by a 5–1 mark. Shelton would assist on a second period goal by Brooke Stacey, her only point of the tournament.

Shelton recorded her first international goal at the senior level at the 2021 World Championship, in a 5–1 win over the Russian Olympic Committee. The Canadians would go on to earn the gold medal with a 3–2 overtime finals victory against the United States.

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, Shelton was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team.

Shelton was a member of Team Canada at the 2024 World Championship, where the Canadians won their 100th World Championship game, a 4–1 victory over Finland in which Shelton recorded a goal and two assists. The Canadians would go on to win the gold medal.

Personal life
Shelton majored in biology at Clarkson University. In high school, she played soccer and basketball in addition to hockey.