Jessica Campbell mulled for spot on Kraken staff
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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
SEATTLE — New Seattle Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said during his introductory news conference Tuesday that Coachella Valley Firebirds assistant Jessica Campbell’s name is in the discussion for a similar role at the NHL level.
Bylsma, who previously coached the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres, was head coach of the Firebirds for the past two seasons. Campbell, the first woman behind the bench as a full-time coach in AHL history, played a key role in the team reaching the Calder Cup final last season and advancing to the Western Conference finals this season.
The 53-year-old Bylsma said he has talked with Kraken general manager Ron Francis about the possibility of bringing in another coach who could complement Bylsma along with current assistants Jay Leach and Dave Lowry. Campbell, along with fellow Coachella Valley assistant Stu Bickel, have been part of those discussions.
If the Kraken hire Campbell, she will become the first woman behind an NHL bench as either a head coach or assistant coach.
“Jessica has been part of that conversation; Stu Bickel has been part of that conversation,” Bylsma said. “What they’ve done the last two years with developing players down there — Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans — is evidence of that. They are part of the conversation about going forward with the staff here.”
The need to find another assistant stems from the Kraken parting ways with head coach Dave Hakstol after three seasons. Hakstol, who guided the Kraken to the playoffs in 2022-23, was dismissed after the team finished 17 points out of the final wild-card spot this season. The day the Kraken announced his firing, they also said assistant Paul McFarland, who oversaw the team’s forwards and power-play unit, was let go.
The Kraken went from having the NHL’s second-best shooting percentage and tying for the fourth-most goals per game in 2022-23 to finishing fourth-worst in shooting percentage and goals per game in 2023-24.
Campbell, who oversees the Firebirds’ forwards and power-play units, oversaw an attack that scored 257 goals in her first season. That ranked third in the AHL, while the power-play unit was 14th. This season, the Firebirds led the league with 252 goals while their power-play unit finished 14th.
“The job she’s done now, there’s a reason why we hired her,” Francis said. “We didn’t hire her because she’s female. We hired her because we thought she’s a good coach. She has an interesting background not only with skating, but skill development. That’s been a big part of what they’ve been able to do with Coachella Valley. She runs the power play, works with the forwards, and works with everybody on helping improve their skating, their skill development and, as Dan said, both her and Stu Bickel have been a big part of their success down there.”
Campbell was hired in July 2022 by the Kraken to serve as a Firebirds assistant. Previously, she worked as an assistant and a skills coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany. She was also an assistant for Germany at the 2022 IIHF Men’s World Championship, where she became the first woman on the coaching staff of a men’s national team.
Bylsma told ESPN that he plans to speak with Lowry and Leach soon. He also said he talked with Bickel and Campbell about their career aspirations before he was hired by the Kraken, while noting that has spoken with other coaches as well about next season.
“It’s critical for the players, the individuals and for the team to have communication and establish relationships,” Bylsma said. “Having trust and building that trust, that’s critical for a coaching staff as well. We have relationships, Stu and Jessica. We’ve established those relationships. I know where they’re good as coaches and what they do. They’re familiar with me and what I say and how I act. We have those relationships, and every coach needs that. That’s a good thing for them and it would be a good thing for our players to see a coaching staff that has those positive relationships.”
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
The Washington Nationals demoted All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues after he stayed out all night at a Chicago-area casino, leaving only hours before a Friday day game against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The 23-year-old Abrams led off for the Nationals and went 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in Friday’s game, which started at 1 p.m. CT. He was informed of the demotion Friday night, sources said. He will be sent to West Palm Beach, home of the Nationals’ minor league complex.
Because Abrams has been with Washington for the entirety of the season, the demotion will not affect his service time. Players earn a full year of service with 172 days on the major league roster, and Abrams already has exceeded that threshold.
Abrams could, however, file a grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association to fight for lost pay if he believes the demotion unjust. He would lose around $30,000 of his $752,000 salary for missing the season’s final week. Abrams will be arbitration-eligible this winter, entering the system for the first of four times as a Super 2.
Acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, Abrams parlayed a breakout first-half into an All-Star selection, hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the Nationals’ first 89 games. He struggled significantly in the second half, slashing .203/.260/.326, and Abrams’ defense has been a weakness throughout the season.
Still, the Nationals did not intend to send him to the minor leagues until they learned of his time spent at the casino, which was first reported Friday by CHGO.
“I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Saturday. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give specifics.”
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson defensive end Peter Woods will not play for the 21st-ranked Tigers against NC State on Saturday because of a leg injury.
The team announced Woods’ status about 90 minutes before kickoff. Woods, 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, got hurt two weeks ago on a chop block below the knee in a 66-20 victory over App State. Woods came back in briefly after getting checked then missed the second half.
The Tigers were off last weekend.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has said Woods’ playing status was day-to-day. Swinney said Woods had not missed a practice. But Woods came out to the field for warmups in sneakers and sweatpants while other defensive linemen went through drills.
Woods leads the Tigers with 2½ tackles for loss.
Third-year sophomore Jahiem Lawson is listed as Woods’ backup on the depth chart.
NC State will be without starting quarterback Grayson McCall, who was hurt last week in a win over Louisiana Tech. Freshman CJ Bailey started for the Wolfpack.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Utah quarterback Cam Rising is a game-time decision with an injury to his throwing hand, sources told ESPN, with the expectation that he will attempt to start.
No. 12 Utah plays at No. 14 Oklahoma State on Saturday, one of the biggest games of the season in the Big 12.
Rising has been limited in practice this week with the injury, and he is not expected to be 100% if he does play. He will be monitored closely to see how his injured fingers impact how he throws. The fingers play a huge role in both spin and velocity, which will impact his effectiveness in the passing game.
He injured his hand Sept. 7 against Baylor in the second quarter when he threw a ball away and was pushed out of bounds and landed awkwardly on the water coolers on the Bears sideline.
Rising warmed up with a glove on his hand before last week’s game against Utah State but did not play, and he was spotted with two fingers wrapped on the sideline against Baylor. It’s uncertain if he will use the glove on Saturday.
Utah’s offense plays a majority of its snaps under center and uses clapping as a mechanism in its snapping operation, which would both stress the fingers.
Backup quarterback Isaac Wilson is a true freshman who made his first career start against Utah State, going 20-of-33 passing for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He took first-team reps in practice this week when Rising wasn’t out there.
Wilson is the brother of former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, who now plays in the NFL for the Denver Broncos.
Rising is a seventh-year senior who had emerged as one of the Pac-12’s top quarterbacks in 2021 and 2022. He has been snakebit by injuries in recent seasons, as an injury in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season ultimately led to him missing the entire 2023 season.
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