Ella Shelton Back Home in Toronto

For Toronto Sceptres defender Ella Shelton, it was a homecoming of sorts when she was unexpectedly traded from the New York Sirens during the 2025 PWHL Draft. Shelton, a native of Ingersoll, Ontario, has spent plenty of time in the Toronto area over the years; now, she's getting the chance to play professional hockey there.

Shelton spent the first two years of her professional career in New York after the team that drafted her fourth overall in 2023. She played a steady part with the Sirens, anchoring their blueline while contributing offensively with 37 points in 48 games.

As she headed into the third year of her contract, a trade at the draft sent Shelton to the Sceptres in exchange for the third overall and twenty-seventh overall selections. The Sirens selected Casey O'Brien and Maddi Wheeler with those picks.

"At some points, it's still surprising for me to think that I've been traded to the Toronto Sceptres," Shelton told The Ice Garden. "At the end of the day, this is also a business. Teams are in the business of winning, so teams are going to do what they can to make their team more successful."

"I'm just really excited to be a little bit closer to home," she added. "It's a little bit something different for me. This is a big year, and I'm excited to be with this group."

Outside of the rink, Shelton said nothing changed too much for her as a result of the trade. She'd spent most of the summer with her parents, who live about 90 minutes from Toronto, and would make practices times in the city.

"It's always been a place that I've come to," she said of Toronto. "It's been a hub, not only for PWHPA days, but with Hockey Canada, and now obviously, with the Sceptres, so it wasn't too big of an adjustment for me."

Shelton also noted that she, like most Sirens players, didn't sign a 12-month lease in New York. She was also living in a furnished unit, which meant she didn't have many big-ticket items to bring back to Canada.

"Our season is so short in the grand scheme of things," she said. "When it comes down to it, it's a couple months that you're there, so it just made the most sense."

Shelton is now three games into the season with her new team, bolstered by a familiarity with many of the players and much of the coaching staff thanks to the Canadian national team. Sceptres head coach Troy Ryan and general manager Gina Kingsbury hold the same roles with Hockey Canada, while a host of Sceptres also play for the national team.

"It's been really fun with this group," Shelton said. "We have a really dedicated group, where we really buy into what we believe as a team. Our staff... they're very professional. They do a great job keeping us accountable, and I think that accountability comes down to us. We hold that across the board, from player to player, goalie to goalie. It's across the board, where we expect the best out of everybody."

"It's been a lot of fun because a lot of these faces are quite familiar for me, obviously with Troy and Gina... but also with Renata [Fast] and Savannah Harmon, I went to school with," she added. "A lot of these girls, I grew up playing against, so it's fun to get back together and be on the same professional team."

Her familiarity with the area, as well as many of the players and staff, have helped Shelton in her transition for New York to Toronto.

"Honestly, the best thing was that right after I got traded, I was able to come and spend a day here in Toronto, to see the facilities and familiarize myself with the facilities," she said. "The staff, too. We obviously know of each other, and now that we're all in the same building, working for the same team, it makes it that much easier to be at the rink and say hi. For example, Lauriane Rougeau - we played one senior team game together, and now she's someone I see on a daily basis here at the rink. It's kind of like a full-circle moment for us and for me."

"People were really welcoming with open arms with my trade, and it makes it that much easier to fit in and be very vulnerable with myself. They're also vulnerable with me, so that friendship and that connection got strong pretty quickly," she added.

Of course, it's not just the players and staff who are welcoming Shelton. A packed arena full of passionate fans at Coca Cola Coliseum are, too.

"It's pretty cool to know that every game I'm going to play here in Toronto, you're going to have a pretty electric, loud and full crowd," Shelton said. "It's definitely different and exciting, looking up and seeing so many signs from girls in my town, or family members. There's nothing like playing in front of a full crowd on game day. That just makes it that much more exciting and that much more fulfilling; you go out there, put your best foot forward and play your heart out."

"You do it for yourself, for your teammates, and ultimately, those fans are living vicariously through you. They might want to be in your shoes one day, so we want to put on a good show for them, so that thy keep coming back," she added.

As Shelton settles in with her new team, the energy is only going to ramp up more. The PWHL is heading towards an international break with the Winter Olympics on the horizon. She's prepared for a heavier workload and excited for the challenges ahead.

"It's hard for people to go and play games, and then you have a week off," she said of the upcoming schedule. "How do you maintain that high standard that we set for this team, in a time where you might not be playing games, or some girls are playing at the Rivalry Series?"

"We have a really mature and dedicated group," she noted of the Sceptres. "We have a very veteran presence in that room, and I think a lot of girls have found what works for them, and found it easy to help other players because they've gone through that same thing for two years."

"When you look at the PWHL, every game matters. Every point matters. We have to find a way to set ourselves up for success, so that post-Olympics, we're feeling pretty good and happy with our spot and going into a playoff position," she added.

During the upcoming international break, Shelton will suit up for Canada in two Rivalry Series games on December 10 and 13 in Edmonton, Alberta. She didn't play in either of the November games.

"Going from the PWHL to the national team, it's best-on-best every shift, every line, every period. It's just a little bit more heated competition - I can't say the PWHL isn't heated, because there are definitely games that get quite heated," Shelton said. "But that competitive nature grows, and I think when you bring it back to Canada, it just amplifies it a little bit more."

"With the Olympics coming up, teams are doing everything they can to put themselves in a good position before that break happens, so you don't feel like you have to play catch-up. You want to be in the battle right at the front, and I think people are really excited about it," she added. "It's a different space for this to happen, and I'm sure the NHL is feeling the same way, with having to cram in a bunch of games before the Olympic break, too. It's an interesting challenge, but pressure is a privilege, and I'm excited for that."