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Jessica Campbell Named Seattle Kraken Assistant Coach: An NHL First

The Firebirds assistant coach is shaking off the desert sand and heading to Seattle to join the Kraken with head coach Dan Blysma.

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Jessica Campbell runs a drill during a Seattle Kraken rookie development camp on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. Campbell will become the first woman to work on the bench of an NHL franchise after the Seattle Kraken hired her as an assistant coach.
Jessica Campbell runs a drill during a Seattle Kraken rookie development camp on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. Campbell will become the first woman to work on the bench of an NHL franchise after the Seattle Kraken hired her as an assistant coach. (Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times via AP)

PALM DESERT, CA —The Coachella Valley Firebirds' Jessica Campbell was named an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken Wednesday, making her the first full-time female assistant coach in NHL history to work behind the bench.

She was hired alongside Bob Woods, a coaching veteran with a career spanning over three decades, and will reunite with former Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma, who was named the Kraken head coach in May.

"This is an important day for our organization," Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis said in a statement. "We're bringing in valuable coaching experience to our staff and are confident that both Bob and Jessica will make an immediate impact for our team."

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Under Bylsma's tenure, Campbell held the same role for two seasons with the Firebirds, the Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate, also serving as an assistant coach and skills coach for Germany's Nürnberg Ice Tigers in 2021-22.

FILE - Germany's assistant coach Jessica Campbell stands behind players at the German bench during the group A Hockey World Championship match between France and Germany in Helsinki, Finland, Monday May 16, 2022. Jessica Campbell will become the first woman to work on the bench of an NHL franchise after the Seattle Kraken hired her as an assistant coach Wednesday, July 3, 2024.(AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

On an international level, Campbell was an assistant coach for Team Germany at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, where she worked alongside Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

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Her playing career started at Cornell University, where she played four seasons from 2010-14 and captained the squad during her senior year. Campbell played professionally for the CWHL's Calgary Inferno and the Swedish Division 1's Malmo Redhawks, in addition to representing Canada in several international tournaments. She earned a gold medal and MVP award at the 2010 IIHF U18 World Junior Championships and a silver medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship.

Woods and Campbell will join fellow assistant Dave Lowry behind the Kraken bench in the 2024-25 season. The trio are part of a coaching staff that includes goaltending coach Steve Briere, video coach Tim Ohashi and video assistant Brady Morgan.

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