Assistant coach Jessica Campbell will not return to the Seattle Kraken next season, the team announced on Thursday.
Campbell, 33, made history in 2024 when Seattle made her the first woman ever to hold a full-time role on an NHL bench.
“As Jessica’s current contract expires, she has expressed her desire to explore other coaching roles across the League and we support her in this process,” Kraken executive vice president and general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. “Jessica has been an important member of our coaching staff for the past four years, demonstrating deep knowledge, and a unique ability to connect with and develop players. We respect her decision and believe strongly in her as a coach in this league.”
Campbell previously was an assistant coach with Seattle’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds from 2022-24. The team twice reached the AHL’s Calder Cup Final, losing both times to the Hershey Bears in seven games in 2023 and six games in 2024.
As an assistant coach for Germany in 2022, Campbell broke ground as the first woman on a coaching staff at the IIHF Men’s World Championship. She was an assistant with Nurnberg in Germany in 2021-22.
The Saskatchewan native played college hockey at Cornell and won gold medals with Canada at the World U18 Championship in 2010 and the 4 Nations Cup in 2014. Campbell played professionally in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League with the Calgary Inferno before going into coaching in 2017.
