Jessica Campbell to be first woman behind AHL bench; will coach Seattle Kraken's top minor league affiliate

Jessica Campbell is being hired by the Coachella Valley Firebirds as an assistant coach, making her the first woman behind a bench as a full-time coach in the AHL. A woman has never filled that role in the NHL.

The Firebirds, the top minor league affiliate of the NHL's Seattle Kraken, will debut as a team this fall.

«I always had a belief as a young girl, playing boys' hockey until I was 17, that I was equal and capable too. I've never focused on my gender,» Campbell told ESPN. «Growing up, I never dreamed of coaching, because I didn't see it and therefore didn't know what that path looked like. But for young athletes now, it's so important to have that visibility for them to understand they can literally be anything they want. Some of the guys I will be coaching, their daughters can now watch them have a female coach. And that opens up the conversation, which can inspire young girls for something they might not have seen as possible.»

It's shaping up to be a monumental offseason for women in hockey operation roles. Cammi Granato and Emilie Castonguay (Vancouver Canucks) and Meghan Hunter (Chicago Blackhawks) have all recently been named assistant general managers. Emily Engel-Natzke was promoted to video coordinator of the Washington Capitals last week, becoming the first full-time female coaching staff member in the NHL.

Campbell, 30, spent last season as an assistant and skills coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany, and is coming off a stint as assistant coach for Germany at the 2022 IIHF Men's World Championship — becoming the first woman on the coaching staff of a men's national team at the event.

During that time, Firebirds coach Dan Bylsma — knowing he needed to fill out a