The New Jersey Devils just continue to make huge moves in the first offseason of GM Sunny Mehta. After trading for and signing Luke Evangelista to an eight-year deal, the Devils announced two front-office hires. Jessica Campbell, who spent the past two years as an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken, was hired as the Manager of Player Development. We believe Campbell will take over for Meghan Duggan, who previously held the role under Tom Fitzgerald and left to become general manager of PWHL Hamilton, an expansion team in the biggest women’s hockey league in North America.
The Devils also hired Bryan McCabe, but that deserves its own article, so we’ll dive into him later today.
Campbell brings a great hockey mind to the Devils front office, and it fills a role that desperately needed someone like her. The Devils’ development process has not been working, as high-profile prospects did not turn into effective NHL players. Key examples include Alexander Holtz, Chase Stillman, and many other mid-round picks who didn’t turn the corner in their development.
Jessica Campbell is taking over a development system that wasn't working
Because of poor drafting and a lack of development, the Devils prospect system is not in the best shape. With important seasons coming up for guys like Seamus Casey, Nico Daws, Anton Silayev, and Alexander Command, the Devils needed the right person in place.
Campbell as a coach has attributes that will really help her turn into a great purveyor of development. She is focused on the player as a person, adjusting her style based on who she is working with. One might argue that’s actually better for development than it is for coaching, as there’s more time to adjust development approaches over, say, a practice.
Even as a coach, Campbell has always said her focus is on development with the Seattle Kraken. She was only on the bench for two years, but it’s clear she’s changed for the better, understanding when tough conversations are needed and getting more out of her players because of it.
Campbell left the Kraken of her own accord in April to look at other coaching opportunities. When she was left without one, many might have thought that teams weren’t looking to hire the first female assistant coach in NHL history, but the opposite was true. While we can’t confirm, Campbell was likely being targeted by multiple organizations for front office jobs. The Devils made the move, and now she is in charge of the team’s development.
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