Writer: Sofi Dawalibi
Editor: Mare Lara
As the NHL pre-season commences, coaches and players have been working tirelessly to establish themselves in the league. In Seattle, the Krakens have been experiencing a rough start as their new team of main coaches find their footing within their ensemble. However there is one person on the team who has been watched like a hawk, and that is their new assistant coach, Jessica Campbell.
Three losses against one win in the short period of a week are not worth acclaiming, albeit some grace is due since the coaching assembly has started from scratch. Dan Bylsma was hired in late May this year to take over coaching the team, as well as Jessica Campbell made history by becoming the first full-time assistant coach in NHL history by joining the Krakens. Both have extensive knowledge of on-field play, Bylsma having won the Stanley Cup as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and Campbell having her own coaching company (JC Powerskating) with an impressive clientele – surely success should be imminent for the Krakens, right?
Last season, Seattle finished with 81 points in 5th of the NHL Pacific Division, a record of 34-35-13, even after being a fan-favorite due to their performance in the playoffs in the 2022-2023 season. Going into the new season, of course, these are only exhibition games, but what we’re looking at is a proof-of-concept for the plays that are yet to come. Jessica and Dan were certainly focused on evaluating the players’ performances – especially the rookies – testing line combinations and implementing strategies ahead of the regular season. So far, those strategies haven’t been working so well, with the first game’s defense and goaltending being rough to see. Bylsma got very vocal with the players, and though we couldn’t hear what he said, he was certainly emphasizing the strategy, as Jessica was working on the sidelines.
The first half of the first period of the beginning preseason game was strong for the Krakens, as the offense had great passes and shots. Unfortunately, as the game went on we saw that decline, and with the defense being weak, they were quickly defeated by the Calgary Flames – who managed to put in 6 goals for their team.
As the season starts on October 8th, when the Krakens will be facing the St. Louis Blues, we’ll be able to see what Bylsma and Campbell have gathered throughout the preseason and what they’ll present us with. Hopefully, by then, they’ll have grasped further knowledge of their team and we’ll see Jessica shine as she makes history once again.
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