“Sometimes all you need is a role model”: She is Active NB reacts to the first female NHL coach

Jessica Campbell is no stranger to making history. She is the first female full-time assistant coach in NHL history. She sits on the bench of one of the league's newest franchises, the Seattle Kraken.

After her playing career ended in 2017, the Saskatchewan native began her coaching career. Her first professional position was in Europe in 2022, where she worked as an assistant coach for the Nuremberg Tigers of the German Ice Hockey League.

This made her the first woman to coach men's hockey at the national level.

After her stint in Europe, Campbell became an assistant coach with the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL), becoming the first woman to coach in the AHL. She held this position for two years in the Coachella Valley.

Despite her past successes and her commitment to equal rights for all hockey players, Campbell's coaching career reached its peak last summer.

On May 28, the NHL's Kraken hired Dan Bylsma as head coach. The team's former head coach, Dave Hakstol, was fired after the team completed a season with a 34-35-13 record.

Then Bylsma hired Campbell as an assistant coach on July 3. Bylsma and Campbell worked together for Coachella Valley for the past two years.

“The coming year will be a lot of fun. But knowing and understanding that obviously the thoughts of other women and other people who have the same ambitions as me are still at the forefront,” Campbell told NHL.com before her debut on October 8 against the St. Louis Blues . “So, carrying that torch forward every day and staying focused on the job as a coach, but it definitely gives the job meaning.”

The Kraken's signing of Campbell is one of the ways the NHL is working to improve gender equality. Before Campbell, only five women held front office positions in the league, according to the 2021 NHL Diversity Report.

These women include Emile Castonguay of the Vancouver Canucks and Hailey Wickenheiser of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

News of Campbell's hiring has reached Fredericton. Some people in town, like Meghan Beland from She is Active New Brunswick called the news “exciting.”

“The [is] A big moment, not only for Jessica Campbell herself, but also for the representation of women in sports. The past year has been an exciting time of growth for women's sports, especially with the launch of the PWHL [and] the success of Canadian women at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. “Hiring Jessica Campbell only adds to the momentum,” Beland said.

“Women continue to be underrepresented in coaching positions, particularly at the senior levels, so it’s great to see the excitement surrounding Campbell’s start with the Kraken.”

She is active. New Brunswick plays a key role in supporting the engagement of women and girls in sport, recreation and physical activity and is committed to gender equality in sport across the province.

“We work to break down barriers… and build the capacity of leaders, coaches, organizations and communities [in sport]. Our work is divided into three priority areas: participation, capacity building, and advocacy and communication,” said Beland.

She is active offers several initiatives, all aimed at achieving the group's main goal of overcoming the barriers faced by young women and girls in sport. These programs include gender equity education, professional development and networking opportunities for female leaders in sports and recreation, and more.

“By removing barriers, we aim to create inclusive environments where women and girls feel supported, which is an essential part of gender equity.”

When asked how the setting would help create more Opportunities for women as trainers In sportbEland thought so Campbell's attitude helped create more role models in hockey, especially for young women and girls. Because role models are crucial she said Women and young women often “See that it is so.”

“Historically, women have been underrepresented in all areas of elite sport, be it as athletes, coaches or officials. This often means that younger girls don’t have reliable role models in sports,” Beland said. “In her new role, Coach Campbell is a visible, forward-thinking role model for so many women and girls and proves that women can coach at the highest level.”

There are currently several female coaches at St. Thomas University. According to a survey by NB Jobs, over 61 percent of coaches in the province are women.

“Sometimes all it takes is a role model to show women and girls what they can become,” she said.