There’s a part of the NHL offseason that doesn’t always get the major headlines: coaching changes, particularly assistant coaches. That changed when the Seattle Kraken made history by hiring Jessica Campbell as an assistant to Dan Bylsma. Campbell became the first female coach, head or assistant, to ever work behind the bench for an NHL club.
Campbell’s Leap Supported by Peers and Predecessors
The NHL has a history – albeit an oft-forgotten one – of women making their mark on a franchise. Manon Rheaume suited up for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 1992 exhibition match. Kendall Coyne Schofield participated in the Fastest Skater competition at the 2019 All-Star festivities. Marguerite Norris was president of the Detroit Red Wings at 25 years old in 1952.
Some women have their names on the Stanley Cup, such as Sonia Scurfield – co-owner of the 1989 champion Calgary Flames – and Marie Denise DeBartolo, president of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won it all in 1991.
Related: Assessing the Seattle Kraken’s 2024 Draft Picks
There are many other examples. But the reality is that the NHL is a male-dominated league. To become a coach, even an assistant, is quite a feat. All coaches have their own styles. Some can be aggressive, and others communicate more intellectually. It’s easy to understand that a locker room or an ice rink filled with testosterone might not respond to anything other than another man, someone who “gets them.”
But the truth is hockey, like any other professional sport or field, is where nuance can thrive. In 2024, certainly in North America, reverting to the expected roles of men and women has passed. The relative success of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)’s inaugural season has helped pave the way for a much wider acceptance of the presence of women in the NHL.
Campbell’s journey has been replete with stops in Canada and abroad. As a player, she carved her career in the defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) with the Calgary Inferno and served the role of team captain at that league’s 2014-15 All-Star Game. Her CWHL mountaintop came when the Inferno won the Clarkson Cup in 2016, that competition’s equivalent of the Stanley Cup. Campbell also played for Team Canada at the U18 level, winning silver for her country in 2009 and gold in 2010. That was followed by gold for Canada at the 4 Nations Cup in 2014 and two silver medals a year later, one at the 4 Nations Cup and another at the World Championship.
The transition from the ice to the bench came just a few years after she hung up her skates in 2017 (she played very briefly in 2019-20 in Sweden). It began in Germany as an assistant and skills coach with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers in that country’s top-flight league for the 2021-22 season. Her time in Germany put her behind the bench as an assistant for the men’s national team at the 2022 World Championship where the team reached the quarterfinals. What followed was the step that most directly led to her current role: two seasons as Bylsma’s assistant with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the American Hockey League. During that period the club made it to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals. As such, players like Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton know her well.
When all is said and done, the Saskatchewan native was a logical choice. She didn’t appear out of nowhere as a symbolic hire. She’s good at teaching hockey skills and tactics.
In terms of coaching, Becky Hammon is thriving as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA. She spent seven seasons alongside Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs, drilling players like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan. Imagine being the first female coach in the NBA and telling future Hall of Famers what to do. It was a watershed moment which likely led the NHL and the Kraken to where they are today.
Kraken Swim to Beat of Their Own Drum
A lot of NHL teams have opened up opportunities for women. The Montreal Canadiens have Chantal Machabée as vice president of hockey communications. The Toronto Maple Leafs have Leanne Hederson as director of hockey operations. Lauren Cochran is the chief marketing officer for the Florida Panthers, among many others.
The Kraken are no exception: Alexandra Mandrycky is vice president and assistant general manager, Namita Nandakumar is hockey operations senior analyst, Dani Chu is a quantitative analyst, Fiona McKenna is a data engineer, Justin Rai works in player development as does Katelyn Parker, while Brooke Tanner is executive assistant to the general manager, and Molli Putlak is an assistant in team services.
As the league’s youngest organization – notwithstanding the Utah Hockey Club, previously the Arizona Coyotes – it’s still finding its way in many respects. To build a competitive franchise, one needs the best individuals operating in every role, from the coaching staff to the people crunching the data and making compelling marketing campaigns to boost ticket and merchandise sales.
In an offseason that’s already witnessed major changes in Seattle, Campbell’s arrival as an assistant – with Bob Woods – also merits headlines. Like their 31 rivals, the Kraken are in the business of winning, and Campbell knows a thing or two about that.
