A former Central New York college hockey player is breaking barriers in the NHL.
Jessica Campbell, a 2014 Cornell University graduate, has been hired as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken, making her the first female coach in NHL history.
“I had the courage, maybe in a naive way, to believe this was possible, and I believed I could do it even when I couldn't see it,” Campbell told The Associated Press. “And I think if you have that inner belief, you can create anything you believe in, whether it's in sports or in life.”
Campbell said she found a new passion in coaching after her playing career ended. Previously, she worked as an assistant coach with Seattle's AHL affiliate Coachella Valley alongside Dan Burisma. In her first year, she led the Coachella Valley Firebirds to a 48-17 record, second in the league, and became the first female coach in AHL history to appear in the championship game.
She followed suit when Burisma was hired as the Kraken's new head coach in May. Her role was announced Wednesday.
Emily Engel-Natske has been hired by the Washington Capitals as a video coach in 2022, becoming the first woman to serve as a full-time assistant in the league, and Campbell will be the first woman to sit on the bench in the NHL, according to the Associated Press.
“Obviously, it's an honor for me to be in this position and to be the first to speak and be the first, but my focus isn't on that. I'm always focused on the job. I'm focused on the impact. I'm focused on the job. There's so much that goes into this game and the job, so I never take it for granted,” Campbell told The Associated Press.
“I think the most important thing is that I'm reminded so often. It gives so much meaning to the work. I know that if the team is successful and I have a big impact, it paves the way for others, it opens other people's eyes and maybe they can think differently.”
Campbell, 32, from Rocanville, Saskatchewan, played boys' ice hockey until she was 17. A former captain of the Cornell University women's ice hockey team, Campbell played four years with the Big Red, earning 100 points in her career, and was also a member of the Canadian national team that won a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships.
She became a skating and skill development coach after retiring in 2017 and quickly aspired to coaching in the National Hockey League. She will be the AHL's first full-time female assistant coach in 2022 and served as an assistant on the Seattle Kraken's bench in preseason games last year.
The NHL lags behind the NBA, MLB and NFL in recruiting women, according to the Associated Press, and the NHL Coaches Association launched a female coaching development program in 2021 with the goal of increasing the pool of candidates.
The Kraken have been at the forefront of providing opportunities for women in hockey operations even before joining the league in 2021. Current assistant general manager Aleksandra Mandrycky was one of the first front office hires made by the franchise as director of hockey administration in 2018. The franchise also hired senior hockey operations analyst Namita Nandakumar and Hall of Famer Cammie Granat as a pro scout, who joined the Vancouver Canucks as assistant general manager in 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
