Seattle general manager Ron Francis first became aware of Campbell when she was an assistant coach with the men's national team in Germany. Former NHL teammate Tom Lowe was also involved with the German program and recommended Campbell as someone who could help teach technique and help behind the bench.
Francis seized the opportunity, hiring her at Coachella Valley and watching closely to see how she handled the added responsibilities and pressure.
To say he was impressed would be an understatement.
“I've had the opportunity to watch her work over the last few years,” Francis said, “and maybe she didn't like it, but I've sat in on power play meetings where she was presenting and I got a sense of the situation. And, you know, she has a lot of game knowledge and she's got great skills on the development side. So I think that staff complements each other well, and I think Dan's done a great job of putting it together. I'm excited to see what the future holds for us.”
Campbell played four seasons of NCAA hockey at Cornell University and then played professionally in Canada and Sweden. She eventually became a skating and skills coach and built a client base that included several NHL players.
It was at that time that she started thinking about coaching, not knowing how it would come to fruition but instinctively believing it could get her to this level.
Now she's here and ready to embrace the opportunity.
“It's about believing that anything is possible,” Campbell said. “Maybe in a naive way, I had the courage to believe that this could be possible. Even when I couldn't see it, I believed I could do it. And I think if you have that inner belief, whether it's in sports or in life, you can create anything you believe in.”
“What's special and exciting about Seattle is that it's the first NHL game for young girls and young boys. They're never going to see anything less than what they can become. I'm happy to play a part and be able to show that to the young kids.”
