How Jessica Campbell Became The NHL’s First Female Coach And What It Signals

When Jessica Campbell stepped behind the bench for the Seattle Kraken in 2024, she didn’t just make history, she expanded the possibilities of who gets to lead in professional hockey. As the first woman to serve as a full-time assistant coach in the NHL, Campbell’s presence challenged a legacy of exclusion and redefined what authority can look like in a sport long shaped by men.

Campbell never set out to make a statement. Her rise came through years of quiet persistence, playing at elite levels, coaching across continents, and launching a training business that helped develop some of the hockey’s top talent. Her coaching philosophy remains grounded in precision, preparation, and presence—but also in empathy. “The power of listening, learning, and loving the athlete—that’s the foundation of how I coach,” she shared in our conversation. “People first. Human first.”

That mindset took root early. Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, Campbell was often the only girl on all-boys teams. With no professional women’s league in sight and no clear path to the NHL, she kept showing up. “I didn’t see it. But I believed it,” she recalled. “Why not pursue what I love and just see how far it can take me?” Campbell understood even then that being different could either isolate her or distinguish her. She chose the latter. “I always felt my strength, being different among the boys, was my power,” she said. “And I had confidence in that.”

That belief carried her through years of work that went largely unseen. She paid out of pocket for early coaching opportunities in Europe, built credibility one session at a time, and earned the trust of players long before titles followed. At one point, a team told her flat out: “We just can’t hire you because you’re a woman.” Rather than taking it personally, she saw it as emblematic of a system reluctant to change. “When you’re in a leadership position or trying to create change, getting outside the box is usually a model of courage.”

Now, as a full-time assistant coach with the Kraken, Campbell brings a different style of leadership, one not rooted in hierarchy or volume but in clarity and intention. She prepares rigorously, anticipates variables before they unfold, and shows up with structure, conviction, and a deep understanding of her players. “The only way that feels right is to show up the most prepared, the most honest, and the most authentic to my approach,” she says.

Still, Campbell is clear-eyed about what it means to be the first—especially when it’s layered onto the high standards she already sets for herself. “I’ve had sleepless nights being hard on myself,” she admits. “If I’d said one word differently… could that have been a deciding factor?” That instinct for self-reflection runs deep in her approach to coaching. She holds herself to exacting standards and leads with intention and accountability. But stepping into a role where so few women have stood before makes every choice feel more visible. “I just try to show up and be my feminine self, knowing that’s true to who I am.”

That authenticity has become a hallmark of Campbell’s leadership—and one of her greatest assets. At a time when athletes are seeking more than just systems or results, and when intensity alone no longer defines effective coaching, her approach resonates. “You don’t always need the hardcore coaching,” she said. “Sometimes it starts with asking, ‘How are you doing?’ Then you coach.” For Campbell, leadership is less about projecting perfection and more about showing up fully. “If I can show them that I’m not perfect, that I need to get better every day and I’m committed to that, then I think it allows them to have that honest connection with me and with each other.”

The very things that once made Campbell an outsider—her gender, her difference—are now what allow her to lead with conviction. “There’s strength in having a different perspective at the table,” she says. “My lived experience in the game of hockey is something that sets me apart, and I see that as power, not a limitation.”

That shift is starting to echo through the sport. Seattle will soon be home to a new team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, a signal that transformation is happening across levels. But the numbers still tell a stark story: of the more than 200 coaches in the NHL and AHL, only two are women. “Now that we’re [women] there, we still have a lot of work to do,” Campbell said. “But the stigma is being addressed. The success stories, the positive outcomes—those are the catalysts for more change.”

To Campbell, the future of hockey depends on broadening how value is defined—recognizing that lived experience, not just credentials, shapes the direction of the game. “Hockey is a sport we’ve all been part of—as fans, as players, as women,” she said. “Our experiences are just as valuable, and they matter to the growth of the game.” Her message to the next generation is simple: “Have the courage to believe in your dream,” she says. “Even if it doesn’t exist yet. If you love something, follow it. See where it takes you.” In a sport still opening its doors to women, that kind of belief—and the leadership behind it—may be what shapes its future most.

Watch the full interview and more from the Power Women Profiles series here.