Hockey, as well as many other professional sports, has been a male-dominated profession for years, especially on the coaching end.
The National Hockey League (NHL) arrived late to the game in regards to hiring female coaches. This year, the NFL had 15 female coaches, the MLB 42 and the NBA five. While these ratios still reveal a discriminatory gender gap, these leagues seem to be slowly increasing the amount of female coaching positions. Since the NHL’s formation in 1917, no hockey team has even publicly considered hiring a female coach. Until now.
This past July, the Seattle Kraken selected Jessica Campbell for an assistant coaching position, making her the first female coach in the NHL’s history. Campbell’s new role reflects the monumental changes contributing to evening out this divide.
Before the Kraken, Campbell captained the Cornell University team from 2010-2014. After that, she went on to play professionally in Sweden and Canada, earning a silver medal with the Canadian team at the 2015 Women’s World Championship.
In 2017, she turned to youth coaching in both Sweden and Canada. She then received an assistant coaching position with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers, one of Germany’s professional men’s teams. In 2022, Campbell was hired for an assistant coaching position with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a Seattle Kraken minor league subset. The Firebirds are part of the American Hockey League (AHL), which is one step beneath the NHL. She made history as the first AHL female coach, assisting head coach Dan Bylsma. In the two years the two coached together, the Firebirds scored 509 goals, more than any team in the AHL that season according to the New York Times. They also led the team to Calder Cup finals for both consecutive seasons.
This past year, Bylsma was asked to join the major league team, Seattle Kraken, as the head coach. He agreed to the job but petitioned to have Campbell work alongside him. While Campbell’s extensive qualifications and success in the AHL made her an impressive candidate, controversy has sparked regarding how she got the job. Objectively, Campbell’s hockey background is impressive. However, it has been speculated that because she’s a woman, her qualifications seemed to have less weight. Bylsma played a vital role in putting Campbell on the managers’ rader and given the nonexistence of female coaches before Campbell, it’s safe to say he had to fight for her recognition as a viable candidate.
After this speculation surfaced, Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis commented in an article posted to NHL.com on Oct. 7th that “She [Campbell] got this job because she is a very talented coach and we think she’ll not only bring the knowledge of a coach, but the ability to work with our players on power skating and skill development. It’s an extra voice in the room and an extra tool to help them in that regard.”
So far, the Kraken are starting strong with a 4-3 record. Campbell brings a unique coaching style to the ice, focusing on communication and how each player needs different instruction. With a background in skills coaching, Campbell has been recognized for her detailed approach. As reported in the New York Times, she primarily works on players’ skating technique, as well as a special expertise with the power play.
Campbell joins a group of women pushing the boundaries of gender equity. Her new role works to influence not only hockey, but a list of other male-dominated professions as well. Campbell’s historical position sends an inspiring message to younger generations, showing that women belong in the same rooms (and ice rinks) as men. In an interview with CNBC Campbell remarked that “Hopefully, somebody else will have a door held open for them versus them having to push it open and find ways to unlock it.”
Contact the editors responsible for this story: Julee Sharma, Katie McCabe
