Ella Shelton (born January 19, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defender for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), and member of the Canadian national team. She was drafted fourth overall in the 2023 PWHL draft by the New York Sirens.
Playing career Junior 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 under-18 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.
On June 24, 2025, Shelton was traded to the Toronto Sceptres in exchange for a first-round (3rd overall) and fourth-round (27th overall) draft pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft. On November 19, 2025, she signed a one-year contract extension with the Sceptres.
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.
On January 9, 2026, she was named to Canada's roster to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Personal life Shelton majored in biology at Clarkson University. In high school, she played soccer and basketball in addition to hockey. Shelton became engaged to fellow hockey player Josh Dunne in July 2026.
Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2013–14 London Jr. Devilettes Prov. WHL 37 4 2 6 26 3 0 0 0 2 2014–15 London Jr. Devilettes Prov. WHL 37 7 14 21 40 3 0 0 0 14 2015–16 London Jr. Devilettes Prov. WHL 34 11 16 27 18 7 1 3 4 6 2016–17 Clarkson University ECAC 41 6 19 25 10 — — — — — 2017–18 Clarkson University ECAC 39 5 20 25 10 — — — — — 2018–19 Clarkson University ECAC 40 6 19 25 24 — — — — — 2019–20 Clarkson University ECAC 33 9 24 33 18 — — — — — 2020–21 Team Sonnet PWHPA 4 2 3 5 2 — — — — — 2022–23 Team Scotiabank PWHPA 18 5 4 9 8 — — — — — 2023–24 PWHL New York PWHL 24 7 14 21 12 — — — — — 2024–25 New York Sirens PWHL 24 8 8 16 12 — — — — — 2025–26 Toronto Sceptres PWHL 30 3 4 7 12 — — — — — PWHL totals 78 18 26 44 36 — — — — —
International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2021 Canada WC 7 1 2 3 4 2022 Canada OG 7 0 3 3 2 2022 Canada WC 7 2 7 9 0 2023 Canada WC 7 0 1 1 0 2024 Canada WC 7 1 2 3 2 2025 Canada WC 7 2 2 4 2 2026 Canada OG 7 0 3 3 2Senior totals496202612
Awards and honours Honors Year RefECAC All-Academic Team 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Third Team All-Star 2017 All-Rookie Team 2017 All-Tournament Team 2017, 2018, 2019 Second Team All-Star 2018, 2019 First Team All-Star 2020NCAA USCHO All-Rookie Team 2017 Second Team ACHA All-American 2020 Second Team All-USCHO 2020 PWHL First Team All-Star 2024
References
External links
Ella Shelton at Hockey Canada
Ella Shelton at Milano Cortina 2026