feb 7, 2024: Jessica Campbell, assistant coach, Coachella Valley Firebirds // Breaking Down Barriers series - Behind the Bench
Ran hockey development camps in the offseason
During covid/stoppage in play: players worked with soupy to keep their skills up
Dan Bylsma: when hired to head coach Firebirds called the NHLCA "I don't have any women in my network. Who should i be talking to" INCREDIBLE👏👏👏 no silo/ echo chamber for this dude
Strengths in powerplay & skating/edge skills. Hour before practice, supplementary skating training
Nothing out of the ordinary for her coaching in the AHL as she'd already been working with pro players
"i see myself as a coach. I forget the outside perspective" (forgets how it looks to those on the outside)
Grew up in Saskatchewan playing boys hockey (similar to most womens hockey players of her generation and prior), grew up wanting to play in the NHL🥹
John Hayden, Firebirds forward:
"positive & knowledgable"
"one of those coaches you want to play for, you don't want to let her down"
"Her resume in hockey speaks for itself but really she's just one of us. It's business as usual. It's tremendous to see"
Max McCormick, Firebirds captain:
"she's even keel on the bench, but there's definitely times when she gets excited and you can see her passion and energy"
"it's about who's qualified for the job ... I'm sure she'll climb the ladder and be in the NHL one day. She's just good at what she does"
Dan Bylsma: "i don't think it will happen. I know it will happen." From his lips to the hockey gods
