Jessica Campbell made history on the opening night of the National Hockey League (NHL) season by becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the league.
Campbell was behind the bench as the Seattle Kraken took on the St. Louis Blues at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old was named an assistant coach in July by incoming head coach Dan Bylsma. The duo previously coached together with a Kraken minor league team.
“The year ahead is going to be a lot of fun. But to know and to understand that obviously there’s still at the forefront the thoughts of other women and other people who have the same aspirations as I do,” she told NHL.com. “So, to carry that torch every day and keep my focus on being a coach, but it definitely puts meaning into the work.”
It was business as usual for the history-making Campbell during the season opener.
“Much like riding a bike,” the coach explained to ESPN after the opening period. “Been at this for a while now but definitely the emotions, the excitement and the energy just the start of a new year, so feeling it all.”
Campbell’s resume speaks for itself coming into her first season as an NHL coach.
As a player, the Kraken’s new assistant coach won the under-18 Women’s World Championship in 2010 after winning silver the previous year. Campbell also won silver in the 2015 Women’s World Championship.
The Canadian became a coach of the Kraken’s minor league affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, in 2022 under head coach Bylsma.
Campbell became the first female coach in the American Hockey League during her time with the Firebirds.
“Two years ago, she was a young coach. She had to grow and improve as a coach and I think our relationship has been that,” Bylsma told NHL.com of their time together. “I probably challenged her a few times to do things differently or think about things differently. But at the same time, she’s also, knowingly or not, challenged me as a coach to make sure I’m the coach I want to be.
“So, getting the opportunity in the NHL is because I believe in the skill and the attributes she brings to the individual players and that she can give them to them and help them become better in their own spot, in their own personal way and the team way.”