SEATTLE, Wash. – July 3, 2024 — Today the Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) announced that Bob Woods and Jessica Campbell have been hired as assistant coaches on Dan Bylsma’s coaching staff, joining Dave Lowry behind the bench next season. Woods and Campbell complete Seattle’s coaching staff that also includes goaltending coach Steve Briere, video coach Tim Ohashi and video assistant Brady Morgan.
“This is an important day for our organization,” said Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis. “We’re bringing in valuable coaching experience to our staff and are confident that both Bob and Jessica will make an immediate impact for our team.”
Woods’ coaching career spans nearly three decades and includes 13 years spent as an assistant coach in the NHL with stops in Washington (2009-10 to 2011-12), Anaheim (2011-12 to 2013-14), Buffalo (2016-17) and mostly recently Minnesota, where he was on the coaching staff for parts of the last seven seasons (2017-18 to 2023-24). This will mark the second time in his career that Woods has worked under Head Coach Dan Bylsma, having also been a part of his staff in Buffalo during the 2016-17 season. Woods’ post-playing career has also seen him hold various roles including General Manager, Head Coach and assistant coach at the AHL, ECHL and WHL levels. Woods’ primary focus will be on the team’s defense while also running the power play with assistance from Campbell.
“After spending a season together in Buffalo, I’m excited to be reunited with Bob here in Seattle,” said Seattle Kraken Head Coach Dan Bylsma. “Bob’s resume speaks for itself – he has worked with some of the NHL’s top defensemen in Washington, Minnesota and Anaheim, and I know he will bring valuable experience to our locker room.”
Campbell makes the jump to Seattle after spending the last two seasons on Bylsma’s coaching staff in Coachella Valley. Under Campbell’s tutelage, the Firebirds led the AHL with 252 goals in 2023-24 and reached the Calder Cup Finals in consecutive seasons. Prior to her tenure with Coachella Valley, Campbell worked as an assistant coach and skills coach for the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL, the top men’s professional league in Germany, during the 2021-22 season. On an international level, Campbell served as an assistant coach for Team Germany at the 2022 IIHF World Championship where she worked alongside Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer. With the hiring, Campbell becomes the first full-time female assistant coach in NHL history to work behind the bench during the regular season.
“During our tenure in Coachella Valley, I saw firsthand Jessica’s commitment to player development,” said Seattle Kraken Head Coach Dan Bylsma. “Her ability to establish relationships with her players, specifically Tye Kartye, Shane Wright and Ryker Evans, was an important factor in this hire. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with her at the NHL level.”
Woods and Campbell also enjoyed extensive careers as players. Prior to his coaching career, Woods played sixteen seasons of professional hockey as a defenseman in several leagues including the AHL, ECHL, WHL and more. He won two championships over the course of his career, first the 1997 Calder Cup (AHL championship) with the Hershey Bears and then the Kelly Cup (ECHL championship) in 1999 with the Mississippi Sea Wolves. Woods was elected to the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2012 after totaling 523 points (159 goals, 264 assists) in 599 regular-season games and was later selected to be a part of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2019 induction class.
Campbell played four seasons (2010-11 to 2013-14) of collegiate hockey at Cornell University, captaining the team her senior year, before making her professional debut for the Calgary Inferno (2014-15 to 2016-17) of the CWHL and the Malmo Redhawks (2019-20) of the Division 1 league, the top women’s professional league in Sweden. A native of Moosomin, Saskatchewan, she has represented Canada in international competition in several tournaments including the IIHF U18 World Junior Championships in 2009 and 2010 and the IIHF World Championship in 2015. She medaled in all three tournaments, winning silver in 2009 and 2015 and taking home gold in 2010 after leading all skaters in scoring and earning Most Valuable Player honors.