Kraken name Jessica Campbell first female assistant coach in NHL history

One of the league’s newest franchises has made history.

On Wednesday, the Seattle Kraken announced they have named Jessica Campbell as one of the team’s assistant coaches, making her the first female coach in NHL history.

Bob Woods was also named an assistant coach, joining the recently promoted Dan Bylsma in Seattle.

It is the second time that Campbell has made a groundbreaking move. The 32-year-old joined the Seattle organization in 2022, when she became an assistant coach under Bylsma with the Kraken’s primary affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. There, she became the first woman to be behind the bench in the American Hockey League.

Working with Bylsma, Campbell and the Firebirds made it to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals, losing to the Hershey Bears both times. During this past postseason, the Kraken announced they were hiring Bylsma to be the new bench boss in Seattle. According to reports, the Grand Haven, Michigan native was pushing to add Campbell to his staff in the NHL.

“Jessica and I spent the last two years coaching in Coachella Valley,” Bylsma said on Tuesday. “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…That’s why she is such an appealing candidate and why she’s joining our staff.”

Prior to joining the Firebirds, Campbell built her credibility working as a skating and skills coach, as many NHLers went to the Moosomin, Saskatchewan native for offseason power skating. She worked with the likes of Luke Schenn, Mat Barzal and Brent Seabrook over her career.

She made her professional coaching debut in 2020, as she was hired by the Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League as a skating coach. Campbell went on to join the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL in Germany in 2021-22 as a skills coach, before being promoted to assistant coach. In 2022, she was an assistant coach with Team Germany at the 2022 IIHF Men’s World Championship, becoming the first woman to coach in the tournament.

Campbell was also a pretty good player as well. She represented Canada at the 2009 and 2010 IIHF Women’s Under-18 World Championships, captaining her country to gold, and earning MVP honors, in 2010. Campbell also took home silver in her one and only appearance at the Women’s Worlds in 2015. She played four years at Cornell Univeristy, before a brief professional career that saw her win the Clarkson Cup with the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s Calgary Inferno.

The Kraken also announced that assistant coach Dave Lowry and goaltending coach Steve Briere will return to the team next season in the same roles.