Kraken assistant coach Campbell talks growth in role, paving path for more women

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. This week, as part of our Women's History Month coverage, we feature Jessica Campbell, who is in her second season as assistant coach of the Seattle Kraken. Campbell became the first woman in NHL history to serve as an assistant coach behind the bench when the Kraken promoted her from Coachella Valley, their American Hockey League affiliate, prior to last season.

Jessica Campbell is enjoying the challenge as the Seattle Kraken try to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in their five-season history.

"That's been the goal all year, is to get back into the playoff run," Campbell told NHL.com. "It's a tough League. It's hard to win, and night to night everyone can beat everyone. We've seen that, we've experienced that. We're surely in a position where we can keep fighting and pushing. But overall we're definitely excited to be in this position."

The Kraken (32-29-11) are two points behind the Nashville Predators (34-31-9) for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference entering their game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, KONG, KHN/Prime).

"I know what it feels like to not be in this position and it's a different morale and energy, and the mindset shifts toward a different way," she said. "We had a great first half and the (2026 Winter Olympic) break presented challenges for everyone and different teams. We felt a little wave of a challenge there, so we're working through that and just continuing to push our group to meet the challenge."

While the Kraken continue to grow, so does Campbell in her coaching role. She talked recently with NHL.com about what she's learned thus far, the jump from the AHL to the NHL and more women getting opportunities in hockey.

It's your second season in the NHL. How much have you learned?

"I take a lot of pride of being in the position I get to be in. I love what I do. I love the challenge the NHL schedule presents in the group. There's never a day when I don't look across the room and see the best players in the world, masters of their craft, and getting to support them and be surrounded by them. As much as I try to support and guide and coach the players, they're lifting me up every day to be a better coach and person. It's a lot of fun.

"My first year to this year, I've felt huge steps in myself and my growth, just getting used to the demands of the League and the schedule and meeting that every day. I'm also being a sponge with everyone around me and trying to show up as my authentic self in a space where some look at it as oftentimes isolating for me, but I feel the support around me and I'm proud to be part of an organization that's definitely supportive and inclusive in having so many other women alongside. I try to really relish having that support system and ecosystem. I think we're all stronger together.

"It's been a remarkable journey, and just being able to connect with new coaches, other female coaches on multiple levels, having someone they can reach out to and trying to model that leadership for them and if I can show any way by learning from some of my mistakes on their path forward. I didn't have a blueprint coming into this and now I'm hoping to lay some of that for others. It's a heavy emotional ride and every day looks a little bit different, but I love it. I love the challenge and I want to continue to do it for as long as I can."

We always ask players how they have to evolve from the AHL to NHL. What about a coach? How have you evolved?

"I would say I try to stick to the core of who I am as a coach. I believe I'm a very positive person, try to be a strong communicator and listener, supporter of players' needs and goals, and just understanding who they are on a human level and how I can guide and support, maximizing their potential. That's what I've always loved about coaching in general and being that for the players, so I think that's stayed true.

"For me this year, I would say I'm a lot tougher than maybe I used to be, or I've grown in that area. Just understanding the strength that comes with delivering positive messages or the tougher message and how that behavior and response changes in a good way when taking a harder approach. That's been somewhere I've seen myself just trending toward while still remaining true to who I am as someone the players can come to, a sounding board, while also helping them get in the trenches and do the work and be by their side when it's going right, going well or not going well. That's key to me."

What skills do you find most important in your day-to-day role?

"I think obviously it's about the players and helping them find their way and play within their role. For me, I'm stretched in a lot of different directions in the sense of who I'm supporting, how I'm supporting them, whether that's a younger player, a veteran player. I've been fortunate to be with the Kraken (organization) for four years. Some of the youth on our team are players I've watched come in as junior prospects become pros and living through those AHL years with them and I'm watching them establish themselves as NHL players. I try to support each of the players. Mostly I work with the forwards, but whether it's on the offensive side or the defensive side or just understanding their role and how to maximize their skill set within their role but still work on their game and develop their game that they can strive to do more.

"It's about the journey. Every day I'm looking at the different ways I can help them get to that work, get to that process and be motivated. I love the environment of hustling with the guys. We don't have a ton of practice time because of the nature of travel and schedule as a West Coast team and being on the road. You get limited to that so you have to get creative on how you can guide and support. I've learned that, if anything worked in the AHL to the NHL, it's just relying on video and these guys, they a lot of times don't need as much as we might think they need. We as coaches watch so much video, so much pre-scout, we think they need to see it all, and being conscious of their emotional energy and physical energy and try to meet them in the right space that maximizes their on-ice performance."

As you go forward, what are you most focused on as a coach?

"Winning (laughs). I want to win. I love creating winning environments and being part of that. I'm excited about where our team's at. I'm excited about the youth of our organization as well and what they're rising to. For me, that fuels me every day, is that winning mindset and growth mindset. I want to continue to strive for that myself, continue to be a better coach and lean on the great support systems and mentors that I have around me. I've learned not to hold back questions and lean on the good resources because we're surrounded by so many good ones in this league. Players, coaches who have been through it, and I'm very, very fortunate that the ecosystem around me and coach/mentors have come into my world. Ken Hitchcock is someone I talk to regularly and I'm always bouncing ideas off him, and a lot of others. So it's just trying to continue to be better. That's my focus, and wherever that takes me in the game, I know it's going to be good."

I talked with Kim Weiss recently after she was named assistant coach for the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. She's the second woman behind an AHL or NHL bench after you. How encouraging is it that we're getting there?

"It's incredible. We're getting there. We're chipping away. I'm so proud of Kim. I've known Kim for a handful of years just through this small hockey world. I think the best way I look at it is, when you're in the bottle, you don't always know what it looks like on the outside when you're in the work and in the process. My journey, especially from the AHL to the NHL, I was just so head down, dialed into the work, and as we've alluded to, the AHL is no joke. It's the best development league in the world for a reason. And for coaches too. Kim's been in that, and she's doing it as a video coach. It's such a powerful road for her to take. She was behind the bench prior to that, I know. Now she's back there and that's what she's wanted. But to take the position of video coach, and I know she didn't have extensive time doing that video work, but she had the knowledge and the hustle. I've seen the recognition. I now work with Aaron (Schneekloth, Kraken assistant). He was their head coach. So there's a mutual connection and he's such a big advocate of how much of a rock star she is. That's the ultimate win.

"For me going first or for anyone, that's not the focus. That's never been my focus. I've always been reminded throughout my journey there are others watching you go and there are others that have the same goals. It’s inspired me to never give up, inspired me to stay motivated and so, to now watch Kim do her thing and to get to do it with the same passion and love that she has and to be recognized where she's at, she's well on her way. We try to lean on each other and support each other. We ask each other about our suits and it's fun to have another female sounding board, of 'How are you dressing?' Because those are the real realities when you're in a role when you don't see many others like yourself there. It starts with one. It takes more than that, and you'll start to see that shift and that wave. The women's game is growing tremendously. Youth hockey numbers have skyrocketed with young girls registering to play, but I think that women are going to continue to look at themselves as now coaches in the game, and it's only going to better our game on both sides, the women's side and the men's side."