Kraken considering Jessica Campbell for historic hire: AHL staffer could be NHL’s first woman full-time coach

Coachella Valley Firebirds assistant coach Jessica Campbell is no stranger to making hockey history. During her rookie season (2014-15) with the Calgary Inferno, she served as team captain in the first CWHL All-Star Game. In 2022, she became the first woman to coach in the American Hockey League (AHL). And earlier this year, she became the first woman to coach behind the Seattle Kraken bench during the preseason.

It’s no wonder Campbell is being considered for an assistant position on the Kraken coaching staff, which would make her the first woman to serve as a full-time head coach in the Kraken. NHL history. Although if she could, she would talk less about being a trailblazer and more about developing the next generation of talent. At his introductory press conference, new Kraken coach Dan Bylsma admitted that his current AHL assistant participated in conversations with Kraken management.

“Yes, as part of conversations with Ron over the past few years here, we have had numerous conversations and interviewed a few times,” Bylsma said Tuesday. “Jessica was part of that conversation. Stu Bickel was part of that conversation,” he added, referring to his current assistants with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The NHL’s newest expansion team has parted ways with its first head coach, Dave Hakstol, after three seasons. Bylsma, currently the head coach of the Kraken’s AHL affiliate, will take over at the end of the Firebirds’ season.

“What they’ve done the last two years with developing players there – Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans – is a testament to that,” Bylsma said. “They are part of the conversation about moving forward with the team here.”

When the Kraken departed Hakstol in April, they also separated assistant Paul MacFarland. Now that Bylsma has taken over the bench, he will have at least one spot to fill, as long as he retains assistants Jay Leach, Dave Lowry and goaltending coach Steve Briere.

Bylsma will look for employees who can compliment the Kraken’s current players, the current staff and his own style as a head coach. Campbell and Bickel fit the bill. However, in Campbell’s case, she currently manages the Firebirds’ power play, the same role MacFarland managed under Hakstol. Additionally, she has trained behind the Kraken bench.

In September, Campbell became the second woman to be defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins guest coach Cori Cheverie for a day – to serve as a coach in the NHL during the preseason. While Cheverie was first, Campbell, who made history as the AHL’s first assistant coach in 2022, did so as a full-time coach.

“I just focused on the coaching task, but it’s definitely a tremendous opportunity and I’m honored to be where I am and to be – it’s humbling to be part of the Kraken organization,” Campbell told the media after the 3-game loss. 2 on penalties for Calgary in pre-season.

That night, Bylsma and the Kraken organization announced that Campbell would address the media on behalf of the coaching staff, likely signaling an understanding of the historic moment as well as the importance of Campbell perhaps practicing talking about hockey and his role in hockey history.

Campbell, 31, grew up dreaming of playing in the NHL like most female hockey players her age. She competed with and against women’s soccer pioneers at Cornell, for Inferno in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and for 10 years with Hockey Canada.

“I never imagined getting to coach at this level,” Campbell said in September.

Campbell’s rise as a coach began as a power skating coach for elite players such as Olympic gold medalist Natalie Spooner and Stanley Cup champion Joel Edmundson. In 2021, she served as an assistant and skills coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers, who compete in the German professional league Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Campbell joined the German team’s coaching staff during the 2022 IIHF Men’s World Championship. With the German national team, she became the first female coach of a men’s team at the event. It was there that she also crossed paths with current Kraken goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer.

“For me, that’s what it’s all about. Just put your head down and do the work,” Campbell said. “You know, wherever this takes me, this takes me, but obviously I’m honored to be on this path and continue to do the good work necessary to achieve this goal.”

The goal, of course, is a coaching role in the NHL for more than one preseason game. Whether Byslma brings Campbell with him to Seattle or she remains in the Coachella Valley, perhaps even as the Firebirds’ new head coach, all signs point to Campbell achieving her new NHL goal sooner rather than later.

Whether Campbell follows Bylsma to the Kraken or stays in the Coachella Valley, she will make history. However, this is merely a positive symptom that the Kraken had the foresight to add Campbell to their pipeline.

“The work she did is the reason we hired her. We didn’t hire her because she was a woman,” said Kraken general manager Ron Francis. told the Associated Press. “We hired her because she was a good coach.

“She has an interesting background, not just in skating, but in skill development and that’s a big part of what they’ve been able to do in the Coachella Valley.”

During the 2023 Kraken Training Camp, CBS Sports asked Campbell about his future aspirations in hockey and beyond. Like a true Canadian, or hockey player, though probably both, Campbell remained humble.

“I’m a big believer in just keeping a growth mindset every day,” Campbell said days after joining Bylsma behind the Kraken bench at Climate Pledge Arena in the fall. “Obviously, my goal is to continue to train at the highest level, but deadlines are not necessary for me and are definitely not where my focus is.”

With Bylsma’s move, Campbell’s timeline will likely lead to another “first” in her coaching career.