Jessica Campbell's NHL coaching job marks a crucial turning point for professional ice hockey

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

Campbell was signed by the Seattle Kraken in July, and at the team's home opener against the St. Louis Blues on October 8, the crowd erupted in cheers as she was introduced as part of the team's coaching staff.

While the Kraken ultimately lost 3-2 to the Blues, the game was a crucial turning point for gender equality and coaching in the NHL. Campbell's appointment as full-time assistant coach shows that there is a path forward for women who want to coach at a men's professional level.

Campbell's story is a reminder of the challenges female coaches face. However, it also shows that while it is difficult, it is not impossible to take on a coaching role in a professional league.

“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 the Canadian Women's National Team.

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

Despite her extensive experience, Campbell never imagined becoming an NHL coach. Instead, she focused on supporting players through her business, JC Power Skating School.

“I didn’t imagine this path for myself. “I didn't see it,” Campbell said in an interview in 2023. “Honestly, there was no visibility and no other women doing this work, so I didn't know it was possible.”

It wasn't until more and more NHL players took advantage of her skating and skills development program that she began to consider coaching in the NHL as a possible career option.

Female coaches in the major leagues

The NHL has made slow progress in its search for full-time female coaches. The other three major leagues – the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association – have had women in coaching positions for years.

At the start of the 2024 season, there were 15 full-time female coaches in the NFL. In 2023, there were 43 female coaches in the MLB. There are currently five female assistant coaches in the NBA.

However, these numbers still reflect alarming gender inequality. Like Campbell, many women may find it difficult to imagine a coaching position. This moment encourages us to reflect on both the importance of women as coaches and why there continues to be an underrepresentation of women coaching men's sports.

Studies on women in coaching have repeatedly shown hurdles in high-performance sport. Female trainers are often confronted with stereotypes, discrimination and gender-specific organizational cultures that hinder their further development in this area.

To combat these obstacles, the NHL has implemented various support measures to ensure that Campbell remains out of a league of his own.

The NHL Coaches Association launched a Female Coach Development Program in 2021 to support the development of female hockey coaches. By providing leadership strategies, skills development, networking and career opportunities, the program aims to normalize men's coaching by women and expand the pool of available candidates.

Pave the way

While Campbell is the first full-time assistant coach in the NHL, others have had opportunities to work as guest coaches at NHL camps or sit on the bench during preseason games.

For example, Kim Weiss, the first woman to coach NCAA Division III men's hockey, served as a guest coach for the Colorado Avalanche.

Likewise, Kori Cheverie, the first woman to coach a Canadian university men's hockey team, was a guest coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the first female coach to sit on the bench during an NHL preseason game.

Along with Campbell, the visibility each of these women provides can spark significant change in the NHL. While Campbell's coaching debut with the Kraken breaks down barriers, sustained effort and dedication will be required to create a more inclusive sports culture.

For both current and aspiring female coaches, continued emphasis on initiatives like the NHL's Female Coaches Development program is needed to help girls and women envision leadership roles in the future.

As a scholar who has studied the underrepresentation of female coaches, I hope that Campbell does not remain an anomaly in the NHL and that we eventually see more women in both assistant and head coaching roles.

Campbell's new position with the Kraken could spur that change as she and others enrich the NHL with the skills, contributions and diverse perspectives that women bring to coaching.