Canucks Showing Interest in NHL’s First Female Coach: Report

A little over a month after parting ways with the Seattle Kraken, assistant coach Jessica Campbell may be on the verge of landing another job.

Campbell, the NHL‘s first-ever full-time female coach, spent the last two years with the Kraken and she coached for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL before that. She helped lead that team to consecutive Calder Cup Finals.

But now that she’s a free agent, Campbell is reportedly drawing interest from another team, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

“The Abbotsford (Canucks) job (in the AHL) is going to open up — I have heard some early rumors that the Canucks may have some interest in Jessica Campbell,” Friedman said. “There could be like a trade here, Patrik Allvin going to Seattle and Jessica Campbell going to Vancouver.

“… I’ve heard the Kraken have interest in Allvin, he obviously knows (Kraken GM) Jason Botterill. And I have heard the Canucks have interest in Campbell. Who knows where it goes, but I’ve heard that’s one of the names on their radar.”

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that Campbell had interest from other teams in the NHL, but the chance to be a head coach — albeit in the minors — may be took good for her to pass up as it could be a stepping stone to a future NHL head coaching opportunity.

The last time Campbell, 33, coached in the AHL she found great success.

She oversaw Coachella Valley’s powerplay and worked closely with the team’s forwards. She earned praise for the work she did with undrafted free agent Tye Kartye, who she helped turn into the AHL Rookie of the Year in 2023.

Kartye currently plays left wing for the New York Rangers.

Campbell also has international coaching experience. Before joining Coachella Valley, she was an assistant with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers in Germany, and she also was an assistant for Germany’s men’s national team at the world championship as well.

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