The Seattle Kraken are the first NHL team to hire a full-time female coach. 32-year-old Jessica Campbell will serve as an assistant coach on head coach Dan Bylsma’s staff.
The former Canadian team player was most recently co-coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the second-tier AHL and had already appeared on the big stage before that, for example when she was part of the staff of the German men’s national team at the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championships.
AP/The Seattle Times/Nick Wagner
Campbell’s appointment follows a handful of similar appointments in North America’s top professional men’s sports leagues. However, the head coaching positions continue to be held exclusively by men.
