Jessica Campbell’s NHL coaching gig marks a pivotal turning point for professional hockey

Jessica Campbell has made history as the first full-time female coach in the National Hockey League, marking a significant milestone in professional hockey.

Campbell was hired by the Seattle Kraken in July, and during the team’s home opener against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 8, the crowd erupted into cheers when she was introduced as part of the team’s coaching staff.

While the Kraken went on to lose to the Blues 3-2, the game was a pivotal turning point for gender equality and coaching in the NHL. Campbell’s appointment as a full-time assistant coach shows there’s a path forward for women who aim to coach at the men’s professional level.

Campbell’s story serves as a reminder of the challenges women coaches face. However, it also demonstrates how achieving a coaching role in a professional league, though difficult, is not impossible.

‘I didn’t know it was possible’

Campbell brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role with the Kraken, from her playing experiences in the NCAA, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and on Canada’s women’s national team.

Her coaching career began as an assistant with the U18 Canadian women’s national team, and from there she coached in Sweden with the Malmö Redhawks. She then served as an assistant coach for the men’s national team in Germany and the Nürnberg Ice Tigers. Campbell later became the first female coach in the American Hockey League when she was hired by the Coachella Valley Firebirds as an assistant coach.

Even with her breadth of experience, Campbell never envisioned herself as an NHL coach. Instead, she was focused on supporting players through her business, JC Power Skating School.

“I didn’t imagine this path for me. I didn’t see it,” Campbell said in a 2023 interview. “Quite frankly there was no visibility and there weren’t other females doing this work, and so I didn’t know it was possible.”

It was not until more and more NHL players sought out her skating and skill development program that she began to consider coaching in the NHL as a potential career path.

Women coaches in the major leagues

The NHL has been slow on the uptake when it comes to full-time women coaches. The other three major leagues — the National Football…