Photo credit: The Seattle Times

The Seattle Kraken made NHL history with their recent hire of Jessica Campbell, and now one of their top veterans in Brandon Tanev has shared his thoughts.

This off-season has been a chaotic one, and lost in the mix of all of it was the Seattle Kraken making a groundbreaking hire, hiring the first full-time female coach in the history of the NHL.

On paper it’s a fantastic move, as Campbell is a proven name well before she joined Dan Bylsma’s staff with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL, and now one of the teams most respected players has spoken out about the hire.

“Yeah, that’s such an amazing moment for her. She’s been in Coachella for the last two years with Dan (Bylsma) and been part of his staff. Obviously, she deserves to be, where she is, and that’s amazing growth for the game. We are all super excited to have her behind our bench and listen and learn from her. Have her knowledge that she brings to the game to us.”

Brandon Tanev’s comments show that Campbell is very well respected by the players, and has proven herself to be a fantastic leader during her time in the AHL, and she will no doubt be an asset to the Kraken staff moving forward. After a disappointing 2023/24 season that saw them miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Kraken will be hoping for a bounceback season in 2024/25, and with the changes behind the bench they’ve made, they’re certainly in a good spot to do so.