(Seattle) Jessica Campbell became the first woman to work behind the bench of an NHL team after being named an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.
Campbell spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Kraken’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. She supported head coach Dan Bylsma, who was named the Kraken’s head coach in late May. Many expected Campbell to follow Bylsma to Seattle from the moment he was named.
Which she will do, shattering another glass ceiling for women in professional hockey.
Emily Engel-Natzke was named the Washington Capitals’ head of video in 2022, becoming the first woman to hold a full-time assistant role in the NHL.
There will now be a woman behind the bench.
“During our time in Coachella Valley, I saw firsthand Jessica’s commitment to player development,” Bylsma said. “Her ability to build relationships with her players, particularly Tye Kartye, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans, was a big factor in this hire. I look forward to continuing to work with her in the NHL.”
Campbell has excelled in the NCAA, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and the Canadian national team, with which she won the silver medal at the 2015 World Championship.
With the exception of a brief stint with the Malmo Redhawks in Sweden in 2019-20, she hung up her skates in 2017 and had established a strong reputation as a skating coach by the time she joined the Firebirds in 2022. She also served as an assistant in Germany during the 2022 world championships.