It’s 2024 and women in sports are not going anywhere. On Tuesday evening, Jessica Campbell made history with the Seattle Kraken by becoming the NHL’s first female assistant coach.
Campbell has a long and established track record on the ice. As a player, she competed for the Cornell Big Red as well as her native Canadian women’s national hockey team before going pro in Europe.
Throughout her coaching tenures, Jessica Campbell opened a successful private practice (JC Powerskating) before joining the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ staff in 2022.
“I just know that the young kids who are at their first hockey game tomorrow, all they’re going to know is that there can be a female coach behind the bench. It’s really special for me,” Campbell told post-game media.
With the Firebirds being a minor-league affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, Campbell quickly rose through the ranks to assume her current position under head coach Dan Bylsma. Per NHL.com, Bylsma also made his Kraken coaching debut on Tuesday, as he and Campbell both worked together in Coachella Valley.
When Alison Lukan of Root Sports Network chatted with Jessica Campbell on her historic moment, Campbell responded professionally by putting the team first. Still, the importance of the night was not lost on her at all.
“I think the moment leading up to the game and stepping on the bench (…), I’m really going to try to honor what it is, because I know, and I definitely understand that the magnitude and the importance of this moment is really important for our game,” said Campbell.
We live in a time where women are accomplishing tremendous feats in all avenues of sports every day (see Playboy’s stories on Tracy Sandler, Kendra Middleton or Jo Madden). Jessica Campbell is the latest and first female behind an NHL bench, but she certainly won’t be the last.
Like most NHL personnel, Campbell keeps busy year-round. She is also an assistant coach for Team Germany and various international clubs. With the NHL regular season officially underway as of Tuesday, she, Coach Bylsma and the Kraken are full-steam ahead.
