Latest news with #EllaShelton
National Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
A banner day at PWHL entry draft resets Toronto Sceptres roster
There is a pillow calling Gina Kingsbury's name following today's PWHL Awards ceremony and she can't wait to accept the invitation. Article content Like all the various decision-makers in the PWHL, the Sceptres GM has been burning the midnight oil for weeks now as the league went through the business of adding two expansion teams into the league on equal footing while still doing the work necessary to prepare for a six-round entry draft. Article content Article content Kingsbury and her staff arrived in Ottawa needing to fill some big holes in their lineup, solve an overcrowded goaltending situation and basically get the organization back on solid footing after enduring the roller-coaster ride that was the expansion process. Article content Kingsbury should sleep well in the coming days because it appears she has addressed all of those needs. Article content It began with a move that will likely not get the attention it deserves given how divided the attention of the league's followers was on draft night with all the new faces coming into the league. Article content Article content While teams were stockpiling potential in the young college stars or in some cases veteran international talents, Kingsbury and the Sceptres dealt away their first pick, third overall, to acquire 27-year-old defender Ella Shelton from New York. Article content Shelton has long been a favourite of both Kingsbury and Sceptres coach Troy Ryan, who have seen her talent up close for years as a member of the Canadian national team. Article content Article content But the Ingersoll native, who always has seemed like a natural fit in Toronto, wound up in New York in the inaugural draft and thrived in the Big Apple even as the Sirens themselves struggled to find consistency. Article content Article content Shelton easily is among the top five defenders in the league and joins another in that group in Toronto with Renata Fast, giving Ryan and his coaching staff a pair of defenders capable of doing whatever the team needs most at any given moment in a game. Article content In a league that is morphing more and more to a win-now mode given the roster upheaval expansion brings — and don't kid yourself, more is coming, next year if not the one after that — getting a league-proven star at the very top of her game is good business. Article content 'Bringing Ella to Toronto is something we are really excited about,' Kingsbury began in her post-draft interview. 'We have always wanted Ella Shelton in Toronto. I think anyone would want Ella Shelton in their lineup. Article content 'Once we saw (Sirens GM Pascal Daoust) was having more and more signings on the defensive side, we thought he would be more willing to let go one of his (more accomplished) defenders,' Kingsbury said. 'So, we started to have conversations about what that would look like and eventually came to an agreement.'
National Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Toronto Sceptres make noise at PWHL draft, trade for top New York Sirens defender Ella Shelton
OTTAWA — The Toronto Sceptres didn't own the first-overall pick in the PWHL draft, but they certainly stole the thunder in Ottawa last night. Article content With Patty Kazmaier Award winner Casey O'Brien still on the board, the Sceptres turned the draft on its head early by trading the No. 3 pick in the draft to the New York Sirens for defender Ella Shelton. Article content Article content New York also received Toronto's fourth-round pick in the deal. Article content Then just as the draft was settling into a bit of a routine, the Sceptres shook things up again. Toronto dealt its starting goaltender, Kristen (Soupy) Campbell, of its first two seasons to Vancouver for the expansion club's second- and third-round picks (16th and 23rd overall), while also giving up their own third-round pick (19th overall). Article content The move is a good one for both Campbell and the Sceptres. Campbell gets a fresh start in Vancouver alongside national squad teammate Emerance Maschmeyer. Campbell had a rocky finish to an up-and -down tenure with the Sceptres as she was on the bench for Toronto's final game of the playoffs after tough Games 2 and 3 in the semifinal loss to Minnesota. Article content Campbell had a tonne of good moments in the Toronto net, but with the signing of former Montreal netminder Elaine Chuli and Raygan Kirk somehow avoiding being selected in the expansion draft, the writing was on the wall for Campbell's future in Toronto. Article content Shelton, meanwhile, has been one of the top defenders in the PWHL since the league began and even scored the first goal in league history against her new club. Article content She is very familiar to Toronto's braintrust, having played a prominent role on Canada's national women's team where Sceptres GM Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan held the same roles. Article content In a year in which defenders were flying around at the expansion draft, then again during free agency, building a reliable, consistent blue line has become a priority for teams. Article content The Sceptres lost a key defender in Megan Carter, last year's second-rounder, when she went to Seattle in the expansion draft. Article content With no disrespect intended to Carter, who had a very solid first year in the league, Shelton is an unquestioned upgrade at this position for the Sceptres. Article content Like Renata Fast, who is expected to walk away with the league's defender of the year honour at Wednesday's awards, Shelton is a strong two-way defender as capable of jumping into the rush and providing offence as she is protecting her own end.
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Toronto Sceptres make noise at PWHL draft, trade for top New York Sirens defender Ella Shelton
Get the latest from Mike Ganter straight to your inbox The Toronto Sceptres traded the third-overall pick at the PWHL draft to the Sirens for defender Ella Shelton on Tuesday. BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES OTTAWA — The Toronto Sceptres didn't own the first-overall pick in the PWHL draft, but they certainly stole the thunder in Ottawa last night. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account With Patty Kazmaier Award winner Casey O'Brien still on the board, the Sceptres turned the draft on its head early by trading the No. 3 pick in the draft to the New York Sirens for defender Ella Shelton. New York also received Toronto's fourth-round pick in the deal. Then just as the draft was settling into a bit of a routine, the Sceptres shook things up again. Toronto dealt its starting goaltender, Kristen (Soupy) Campbell, of its first two seasons to Vancouver for the expansion club's second- and third-round picks (16th and 23rd overall), while also giving up their own third-round pick (19th overall). Read More Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The move is a good one for both Campbell and the Sceptres. Campbell gets a fresh start in Vancouver alongside national squad teammate Emerance Maschmeyer. Campbell had a rocky finish to an up-and -down tenure with the Sceptres as she was on the bench for Toronto's final game of the playoffs after tough Games 2 and 3 in the semifinal loss to Minnesota. Campbell had a tonne of good moments in the Toronto net, but with the signing of former Montreal netminder Elaine Chuli and Raygan Kirk somehow avoiding being selected in the expansion draft, the writing was on the wall for Campbell's future in Toronto. The Sceptres free up some much-needed cap space as well by moving on from Campbell. Shelton, meanwhile, has been one of the top defenders in the PWHL since the league began and even scored the first goal in league history against her new club. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Toronto Sceptres GM Gina Kingsbury, right, poses with second-round pick Emma Gentry, left, an American forward, at the PWHL draft in Ottawa on Tiuesday. ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS She is very familiar to Toronto's braintrust, having played a prominent role on Canada's national women's team where Sceptres GM Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan held the same roles. In a year in which defenders were flying around at the expansion draft, then again during free agency, building a reliable, consistent blue line has become a priority for teams. The Sceptres lost a key defender in Megan Carter, last year's second-rounder, when she went to Seattle in the expansion draft. With no disrespect intended to Carter, who had a very solid first year in the league, Shelton is an unquestioned upgrade at this position for the Sceptres. Like Renata Fast, who is expected to walk away with the league's defender of the year honour at Wednesday's awards, Shelton is a strong two-way defender as capable of jumping into the rush and providing offence as she is protecting her own end. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It gives Ryan plenty of options at the back end and the ability to count on offence from his blueline, much in the way the new Vancouver franchise has talked about since adding both Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson from Minnesota in the expansion process. With the trade, New York wound up with the top two projected forwards in the draft, taking Colgate standout Kristyna Kaltounkova of Czechia with the first-overall pick, allowing her to rejoin her old head coach Greg Fargo with the Sirens. Kaltounkova spent four years with Fargo at Colgate before he moved on to take over behind the Sirens bench last season. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. New York GM Pascal Daoust took some heat for protecting his defence during the expansion process and in doing so exposing forward Alex Carpenter who was snapped up Seattle. But in hoarding his defence, Daoust opened the door to a trade like the one he made with Toronto. It allowed him to add O'Brien to Kaltounkova and perhaps lessen the blow in losing both Carpenter and Jessie Eldridge in the expansion process. The top defender off the board went to the Boston Fleet in U.S. national team and Clarkson standout Haley Winn. Winn and Nicole Gosling were the backbone of that Clarkson team. Both defenders went within two picks of each other, with Gosling — a London, Ont., native and cousin of one-time Sceptre Julia Gosling — going fourth overall to the Montreal Victoire. The draft hosts from Ottawa were next on the clock and, to the surprise of very few, they went with the best remaining defender available in Rory Guilday from Cornell. Guilday has big shoes to fill with the departures of Ashton Bell and Aneta Tejralova who were casualties of the expansion process for the Charge. mganter@ Toronto Blue Jays NHL Columnists Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
New York Sirens trade Ella Shelton to Toronto Sceptres for No. 3 pick in PWHL Draft
OTTAWA – In a massive move in midst of the first round of the PWHL Draft, the New York Sirens traded defender Ella Shelton to the Toronto Sceptres for the third-overall pick and a fourth-rounder in the 2025 draft on Tuesday night. The trade comes just minutes after New York selected forward Kristýna Kaltounková with the No. 1 pick. Advertisement Shelton was New York's first-round pick in the inaugural draft in September 2023 and was named a finalist for 2024 Defender of the Year. The 27-year-old led all defenders in goals this season and is entering the final year of her three-year contract in 2025-26. She'll add immediate depth to the Sceptres blue line that lost rookie Megan Carter in the expansion draft. This story will be updated.
