The New York Rangers have announced that Jessica Campbell will join their 2022 Development Camp as a coach, becoming the first woman in the history of the Original Six franchises to serve in such a role

Campbell was a member of the Calgary Inferno for three seasons in the CWHL, helping the Inferno capture the Clarkson Cup in 2016. The Cornell Big Red grad was also a mainstay for Team Canada’s U-18 and U-22 teams throughout the 2010s, capturing a gold medal and tournament MVP at the 2010 U-18 World Junior Championships. 

Most recently, Campbell became the first woman to join the coaching staff of a national team when she served as an assistant for Team Germany at this year’s IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships. Campbell spent this past season as a player development coach with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. She was hired as president and coach of Chicago’s Windy City Girls Hockey Program. She later served as an assistant coach and skills coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers in Germany’s professional league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

This is Campbell’s first opportunity with a NHL team and she hopes it will lead to a larger, more prominent role with the organization.

"I bring something unique and different to the table, and I'm confident and believe that that's what is going to be my special value-add. But when it comes to the actual opportunity at hand, I haven't really processed it,” said Campbell in an interview with NHL.com. “I think putting on the Rangers tracksuit in the role as a coach with those players is going to be a very special moment for me, and obviously really special for the growth of the game."