University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey senior defenseman Ashton Bell has been named one of 28 players that will centralize in Calgary the Canadian National Women's Team for the 2021-22 season, which will lead up tp the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, February 4-20, 2022 in Beijing, China.

Bell, who is coming off an All-American season at UMD, is one of just four current NCAA players selected, and is one of nine blueliners that has been chosen to centralize.  She joins former Bulldog All-American defenseman Jocelyne Larocque, who will attempt to make her third Olympic team in 2022.  Larocque has one Olympic gold medal (2014) and one Olympic silver medal (2018) with Canada, and was first centralized with Canada ahead of the Olympic year in 2010 when the Ste. Anne, Manitoba native was just a junior at UMD.

The product of Deloraine, Manitoba ad team captain was named both a 2020-21 USCHO First Team All-American and a 2020-21 CCM/AHCA Second Team All-American, and Bell finished the season the seventh-highest scoring defenseman in the nation and second highest in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with 14 points on four goals and 10 assists.  The offensive blueliner was named the WCHA's Defenseman of the Year, as well as an All-WCHA First Team selection, and also turned in a plus/minus rating of +19 over the season.

"It's a huge honor and has been a dream of mine to get the opportunity to represent my country at the national level," said Bell.

The entire Canada roster includes three goaltenders, nine defenseman and 16 forwards, and all players will relocate to Calgary at the end of July for centralization to prepare for the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship that as of now is set to be held August 20-31, 2021.  Canada's final 23-player roster for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games is tentatively scheduled to be released in late December.