Saskatchewan-born hockey coach Jessica Campbell is bound for New Jersey for a new opportunity in the National Hockey League. Campbell, 34, joins the New Jersey Devils development staff as manager of player development. “These hires will complete the club’s development staff and oversee prospect development, while also serving as a resource for the American Hockey League franchise in Utica,” the Devils said in a news release. According to the team, she will focus on the advancement of the team’s draft picks and young players alongside fellow new hire Bryan McCabe. Both will work as “bridges” between the organization’s development resources in both the NHL and through its minor league affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets. Campbell had been working as an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken for two years before stepping down in April to explore other opportunities. She was the first full-time female assistant coach in NHL history, joining the NHL club after spending two years with its AHL affiliate under former Coachella Firebirds and later Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma. Originally from Rocanville, Campbell grew up playing for the Melville Prairie Fire in the Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League before going to Cornell University (NCAA) from 2010 to 2014. She also played for the Canadian Women’s National Team at the World Championships in 2015.
