The NHL coaching carousel is spinning again, and this time one of its most talked-about assistants is stepping off in Seattle. Jessica Campbell, the coach who became the first woman to sit on an NHL bench as a full-time assistant, will not return to the Seattle Kraken next season, the team announced Thursday. Her contract is expiring and the club says she wants to explore other coaching roles around the league, closing a two-season run on the Kraken bench after four years inside the franchise's coaching ranks.
Kraken confirms Campbell will explore other NHL roles
In a team release via Seattle Kraken, general manager Jason Botterill said that as Campbell's current contract expires, she has expressed her desire to look at other coaching roles across the league, and that the organization supports her in that process. Botterill called Campbell "an important member of our coaching staff for the past four years" and highlighted her player-development work. The announcement appeared on the club's site and moved quickly through league channels.
From the Firebirds to the NHL bench
Campbell joined the Kraken organization in July 2022 as an assistant with the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds and was promoted to the NHL staff in July 2024, becoming the first full-time female assistant coach to work behind an NHL bench, according to NHL.com. With the Firebirds, she helped run the forwards and the power play, and the AHL club reached back-to-back Calder Cup Finals. Players and coaches credited her development work and special-teams responsibilities as one of the ingredients in those deep playoff runs.
A milestone amid a franchise reset
Campbell's departure comes as the Kraken head into an offseason of evaluation after another year without a playoff berth. Local coverage has noted that the team has missed the postseason in recent campaigns and now faces a stack of roster and staff decisions, putting development-focused roles like Campbell's high on the summer agenda, according to reporting by FOX 13 Seattle. The organization kept Campbell in place through a coaching change last year yet has also acknowledged the need to refresh its approach both behind the bench and throughout hockey operations.
What's next for Campbell and the league
ESPN insider Emily Kaplan reported that Campbell's exit from Seattle has already drawn interest from other NHL clubs, a point echoed in broader coverage by Yahoo Sports. Her 2024 hire in Seattle was widely viewed as part of a gradual opening of doors for women in professional-hockey coaching and operations, a trend previously chronicled by the AP. Where she lands this summer will be closely watched as teams balance experience, development priorities and staff makeup.
Looking ahead
For Seattle, the immediate job is replacing a trusted development presence on the staff while sketching out a roster blueprint that can push the Kraken back into the playoff mix. For Campbell, the market for coaches with her blend of developmental, skating and power-play expertise appears open, and multiple outlets expect her to draw interest around the league this offseason. Wherever she signs next will serve as another indicator of how the NHL incorporates women into high-profile coaching roles.
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