Local product Campbell makes history by joining Seattle Kraken as Asst. Coach

The Seattle Kraken made history on Wednesday by hiring local product Jessica Campbell as Assistant Coach, making her the first woman to hold an on-the-bench role as an assistant or associate coach in NHL history.

“You speak to the word first, to be the first,” Campbell said in her introductory press conference. “But that’s never really where my focus is, it’s always on the work, it’s on the impact, it’s on the job. There’s a lot to this game and to this job, and so, I’ve never taken it for granted."

The 32-year-old who grew up in both Rocanville & Melville, spent the last two seasons as an Asst. Coach with AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds, alongside Dan Bylsma who was named the Kraken's new Head Coach earlier this off season.

Before getting into coaching, Campbell played NCAA Division I hockey with the Cornell Big Red, and with Canada’s women’s national team, with whom she won silver at the 2015 world championship.

She started her hockey days with the Rocanville and Melville Minor Hockey systems, before suiting up with Melville Prairie Fire U18 AAA, and the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna, BC.