By Will Lopes, Staff Writer

History was made earlier this month after Jessica Campbell became the first woman to be a coach in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken opened up their 2024-2025 season against the St. Louis Blues. While they would fall short of the win, Campbell made history behind the bench.

Campbell was hired as the assistant coach of the Kraken this past offseason alongside head coach and former Stanley Cup champion Dan Bylsma. They are looking to lead their players to a deep playoff run this season.

Campbell may be a fresh face in the NHL landscape, but she has been making her impact on hockey for quite some time. As one of the highest-touted female prospects in hockey, she captained Team Saskatchewan of Canada to a U18 gold medal in the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime and winning MVP of the tournament. She won a total of five medals with the Canadian national team, as well as earning many accolades during her domestic career with the Malmö Redhawks and the Calgary Inferno and at the collegiate level with the Cornell Big Red.

Almost immediately after retiring from professional play, Campbell traded in her skates for a whistle and started her career in coaching. Her first venture was the founding of JC Powerskating, a developmental and training academy for both professionals and young aspiring players. Her clientele list is extensive, including stars of today’s game such as Luke Schenn and Tyson Jost.

Her work in JC Powerskating was soon noticed, garnering coaching offers from all over the world. She spent time as a skating coach in Sweden and Germany. In 2022, she became the first female to coach at a men’s world championship tournament, giving calls behind the bench as the assistant coach of the German national team. 

After coaching for Germany, Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma hired her to act as the assistant coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Kraken’s minor league affiliate team. It didn’t take her long to get wins under her belt as she helped lead the Firebirds to two straight minor league championship runs. Her winning ways could not be ignored by Bylsma and the rest of the Kraken’s board, and she was hired as the assistant to the Kraken this past summer.

The season is just getting underway, but Campbell’s impact on the game of hockey this season has been eminent. She is being recognized publicly as an inspiration to women in hockey. 

“For young athletes now, it’s so important to have that visibility for them to understand they can be anything they want. (For) some of the guys I will be coaching, their daughters can now watch them have a female coach,” Campbell said. 

The emotions were certainly high on Oct. 8 at Climate Pledge Arena, where Campbell was welcomed with a standing ovation before the puck drop.