Campbell hired by Kraken as first woman AHL assistant coach

When Jessica Campbell got the email from Dan Bylsma, sent through the website of her skating school, JC Powerskating, she didn't think much of it.

"I actually thought it was spam," Campbell said.
But Bylsma, the Stanley Cup-winning coach of the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins and now coach of Coachella Valley, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, was reaching out with an inquiry. He wanted to talk to Campbell about a position on his staff with Coachella Valley, which is scheduled to begin play next season.
The timing was perfect. Campbell was contemplating her next step, and had only hours earlier turned down an opportunity that didn't feel quite like the right fit.
This one felt right, and on Tuesday, Campbell became the first woman named a full-time assistant in the history of the AHL.
"Obviously for me, it was a very easy yes," said Campbell, who has been a participant in the NHL Coaches Association's Female Coaches Development Program for the past year.
It had also been an easy yes for Bylsma, whose search for assistants had led him over and over to one name after he was hired June 21.
He went to Ron Francis to gauge the Seattle general manager's feelings about looking into Campbell.
"He asked if I was open to all candidates and I said, 'Absolutely,'" Francis said.
They were impressed with her background as a skating and skill coach, with her coaching experience, including a stint as an assistant for Germany at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, the first woman to join the coaching staff of a national team participating in the tournament.
Campbell also worked with Tri-City of the United States Hockey League this season, led the Windy City Storm Girl's Hockey program in Chicago and was an assistant and skills coach for Nurnberg in Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
"We interviewed a bunch of candidates and in Jessica's case, she combines a lot of interesting things," Francis said. "So we think she's got a bright future in the game and we're excited to bring her into our fold and have her work with our prospects as we try and build up the Kraken from the ground up."
It was a lot of what Bylsma had been searching for.
"When I was looking for a staff to lead the team, to lead the players, I wanted to find a person with passion, with a knowledge for the game, with experience in the game, and one that could relate to the players and get in on a plan with them and develop them as a player," Bylsma said. "That's where Jess' skill and talent came into play and I'm just super excited to have Jess on the staff with us in Coachella."
Campbell, a former captain at Cornell University, will join Seattle's development camp July 11-14 to work with prospects drafted or signed as free agents the past two seasons. She had originally been hired by the New York Rangers on June 14 to join their development camp but will now not attend.
It has been a historic time for women in hockey. In the past two weeks, three more women have been hired as assistant general managers in the NHL in Meghan Hunter with the Chicago Blackhawks on June 22, Hayley Wickenheiser with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday and Kate Madigan with the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. Emily Engel-Natzke was hired as the video coordinator by the Washington Capitals on June 30, making her the first woman to hold that position in the NHL.
The Vancouver Canucks named Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato as assistant GMs on Jan. 24 and Feb. 10, respectively.
"It's been pretty remarkable just to see the journey of women in the game," Campbell said. "I think it's the visibility that's key for me, more so. I'm not focused on the gender side of it. It's more I see myself as a coach, but how others see me is a different dialogue.
"And I think that's what's most exciting about the opportunity is the visibility for young girls and boys, to be honest, to be able to see it and now they can believe in it. I never saw a female coach, so I never dreamt of being a coach. … Now I'm really excited to be able to bring that and just to stand in that space and hold that space. To hopefully do a great job to continue opening that path for others."
Campbell, a native of Rocanville, Saskatchewan, played professionally for Calgary of the Canadian Women's Hockey League from 2014-17, winning the Clarkson Cup in 2016, and for Canada at the Under-18 World Junior Championship, where she scored the tournament-winning goal and was named most valuable player in 2010.
She also spent time working as a private skating and skills instructor for NHL players and prospects, including a large contingent as players worked to return from the pause due to the corona virus pandemic in 2020, starting with a call from New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson. She called it "instrumental for my growth."
Campbell has also worked with former Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber, defenseman Luke Schenn, a two-time Cup winner for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson, Minnesota Wild forward Tyson Jost and New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal, among others.
"For me, that was the moment when I realized, OK, these guys, they want me running these skates," Campbell said. "There's obviously value there and I need to continue to challenge myself to grow."