SEATTLE — Her swishing blonde braid is a common sight on the Kraken Community Iceplex sheets during any kind of work with prospects. Whenever the future of the Kraken is in town, so is Jessica Campbell.
Before any cuts came, the Kraken and Calgary Flames split their training camp rosters and coaching staffs Monday night, with half taking part in a 5-3 Seattle preseason win in Calgary and the other half playing to a 3-2 Flames victory in a shootout at Climate Pledge Arena.
Coachella Valley Firebirds assistant coach Campbell was behind the Kraken bench in Seattle, part of a flurry of firsts for women in the NHL this week.
"I grew up as a young player dreaming of playing in the NHL, because that's all I knew. That's all I'd seen. I never imagined being able to coach at this level," Campbell said. "For me that's what it's about — putting my head down and doing the work. Where it takes me, it takes me.
"I'm obviously honored to be on this path and continue to do the good work that it takes to hopefully reach that goal."
Campbell's turn came just one night after a historic night in Pittsburgh. Kori Cheverie, one of six inaugural head coaches of the fledgling Professional Women's Hockey League, worked with the Penguins' staff during development camp and training camp as a guest coach and became the first woman to stand behind the bench in that capacity during a preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
Campbell and Cheverie join Aisha Visram and Jodi van Rees, who worked behind NHL benches in different roles. Van Rees was an assistant athletic trainer for the Montreal Canadiens starting in 2002. Visram was and remains the head athletic trainer for the L.A. Kings' American Hockey League affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and filled in when the Kings' training staff was battling COVID-19 in January 2022.
There has never been a female NHL assistant coach, but there's been a recent uptick in women in prominent roles. Meghan Hunter (Chicago Blackhawks), Cammi Granato and Emilie Castonguay (Vancouver Canucks) were named NHL assistant general managers last season and Emily Engel-Natzke was promoted to video coordinator of the Washington Capitals, the first full-time female coaching staff member in NHL history.
Granato was a Kraken scout before joining the Canucks organization. Samantha Holloway became the co-owner of the Kraken in late 2022, the NHL's third principal female team owner.
Campbell was previously the first woman behind the bench as a full-time coach in the AHL, one rung below the NHL.
"I get most excited about developing prospects and getting them on the path to be here," Campbell said in the Kraken locker room. "To see guys like Tye Kartye come up in key moments last year and get an opportunity to succeed and have an impact the way he did — that's what it's all about and that's really why we show up at the rink every day."
Campbell captained Cornell University's team in 2013-14 before playing three seasons for the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. She appeared in five games for Canada at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship.
A turning point in her career came in 2020. As rinks began to open up again during the pandemic, she was approached by several NHL players in the Kelowna, British Columbia, area looking to get back into shape for the playoff bubble. She coached in Sweden and Germany the next two seasons.
Campbell was an assistant coach for Germany at the 2022 IIHF Men's World Championship and become the first woman to join the coaching staff of a national team participating in the World Championship.
Stanley Cup-winning Firebirds coach Dan Bylsma, who was also behind the Seattle bench on Monday, said Campbell's name kept coming up as he reached out to potential hires, looking to fill out his staff before the team's inaugural season. Without a better way to contact her, Bylsma sent an email through Campbell's website.
"It was a little bit of a roundabout way, but all signs and all indications of what we were looking for in a coach led me to Jess," Bylsma told the Seattle Times last year.
The Firebirds went on to enjoy a successful first season. They had the second-best point total in the Western Conference and churned through the playoffs. They were one goal away from a league championship, falling in overtime of Game 7 against the Hershey Bears.
A short summer later, many of those players are in Seattle's training camp.
"She totally deserves being in the spotlight. She brings such a different side to things," Andrew Poturalski, a Firebirds alternate captain last season, said. "She's really creative and (has) just a totally different perspective to what I'm used to.
"She's helped all us forwards down there in Coachella and especially the power play. It's really cool to be a part of that, to have her behind the bench. That's a cool moment for her."
Campbell occasionally allowed herself to notice that Monday night as well.
"I think I just focused on the task at hand and coaching, but it's obviously a tremendous opportunity," Campbell said. "I'm honored to be where I am. It's a really humbling feeling to be a part of the Kraken organization, I truly mean that."
