Seattle Kraken could make NHL history with next coaching hire
Bylsma's first assistant coach seems set to be Jessica Campbell, which would be the first time a woman has been behind the bench in the NHL.
With the hiring of Dan Bylsma, the Seattle Kraken became the second last team to find a head coach, promoting Bylsma from the Coachella Valley firebirds. Bylsma may not be the only staff member coming over from the AHL affiliate, as he may be joined by his assistant coach Jessica Campbell.
If the Kraken opt to go with Campbell, she becomes the first female assistant coach in the history of the NHL.
This would be extremely important, as it would show that women are capable of having the same opportunities in the league as men do. Campbell has also been a fantastic coach on the Firebirds and has been a huge part of their AHL dominance.
Campbell has been an amazing assistant coach, helping Coachella Valley to a 46-15-6 record and claiming second place in the whole AHL. The Kraken were also in the bottom half of the league in powerplay percentage, which Campbell should help bring up. She worked on powerplay as well as many things with the players in Coachella Valley, as well as working with them as people to help them excel more in a fast-paced sport.
That's the approach I take -- it's to work with them on an individual level. It's how I want to support them, how they can be helped and then build around that. I was also involved in special teams and running power play. So again, the communication piece and showing them that my mind is creative and I wanted to bring that creativity to them and to the approach of how I could coach them and show them different ways they can think about the game or approach different situations.
She'll have a great opportunity to prove herself if the Kraken hire her, and it'll be amazing for the game. If more women can see that they have a pathway to coach in the NHL, then more women will attempt to learn the game to help other players succeed.
She'll have a great opportunity to prove herself if the Kraken hire her, and it'll be amazing for the game. If more women can see that they have a pathway to coach in the NHL, then more women will attempt to learn the game to help other players succeed.
| POLL | ||
Do you think women should've already been coaching in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 104 | 46.8 % |
| No | 103 | 46.4 % |
| See Results | 15 | 6.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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