Jessica Campbell blazed a trail on Wednesday when she was announced by the Seattle Kraken as the first full-time female assistant coach in National Hockey League (NHL) history.
The 32-year-old joined the franchise in 2022 as an assistant coach of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Coachella Valley Firebirds, Seattle’s minor league affiliate. She was the first woman to be appointed to a full-time assistant coaching role in the AHL and now gets the same opportunity in the NHL.
Campbell said that she was “humbled” to be in the role.
“You speak to the word first, to be the first,” she said, per the NHL. “But that’s never really where my focus is, it’s always on the work, it’s on the impact, it’s on the job. There’s a lot to this game and to this job, and so, I’ve never taken it for granted.
“Though I am honored to be the first, I don’t want to be the only, and I honestly don’t feel like I’m the only in this organization. That’s also a very special feeling to be part of the Seattle Kraken organization and the staff and to stand by all the other remarkable women in this league that are maybe not behind the benches.”
“Jessica and I spent the last two years coaching in Coachella Valley,” added new Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma. “I’m confident of what she can do for our staff and bring to the players.
“I watched her build strong relationships with prospects such as Tye Kartye, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans. She has the ability to relate to players about their games and what they bring to a team.”
Campbell is a former forward who played college hockey with the Cornell Big Red and played professionally in Canada and Sweden.
She worked under Bylsma as coach of the Firebirds after retiring and helped guide the team to back-to-back appearances in the Calder Cup, the AHL’s championship series.
The Canadian history maker is part of wider changes behind the Seattle benches. Bylsma was hired as head coach in May, replacing Dave Hakstol, after the Kraken ended last season with a 34-35-13 record and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Campbell was announced alongside 11-year assistant coaching veteran Bob Woods, who was also hired to the same position.
The Kraken are the NHL’s newest team, founded as an expansion franchise and joining the league for the 2021-22 season. Seattle has reached the playoffs once in its short history, upsetting the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round before losing to the Dallas Stars in seven games in the 2022-23 season.
