The Seattle Kraken have hired Coachella Valley Firebirds assistant coach Jessica Campbell and Calder Cup winner Bob Woods as assistants under new head coach Dan Bylsma.
Campbell, the first woman to serve as a full-time assistant coach in the American Hockey League, achieves the same milestone in the NHL following two seasons with the Firebirds. She helped Coachella Valley to back-to-back 103-point seasons in each of their first two years in the league, along with consecutive trips to the Calder Cup Finals.
“I’m confident of what she can do for our staff and bring to the players,” Bylsma said. “I watched her build strong relationships. She has the ability to relate to players about their games and what they bring to a team. She’s demonstrated that over the last two seasons. That’s why she is such an appealing candidate and why she’s joining our staff.”
Woods is one of three people in AHL history to win Calder Cups as a player, assistant coach and head coach, and has served as an assistant in the NHL with Washington (2009-12), Anaheim (2012-14), Buffalo (2016-17) and Minnesota (2017-24). He won his three AHL championships with Hershey, in 1997 as a defenseman, in 2006 as an assistant coach and in 2009 in his only full season as head coach of the Bears.