Women in hockey making big strides!

This has proven to be a crazy off-season, but it also has proven to be making strides for women in sports. The New Jersey Devils and the AHL Affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, Coachella Valley Firebirds, have added women to their payroll. Let’s talk about these two ladies:

Kate Madigan:

Kate was named Assistant General Manager for the New Jersey Devils. She is the sixth woman in NHL history to be named to do so. She didn’t grow up playing hockey. In fact, she grew up figure skating and ran track at Northeastern, while earning her Bachelor’s and Masters in Accounting. She is the daughter of Jim Madigan, who was a scout for the New York Islanders for 18 years. He stated in an interview with Northeastern “I loved my experiences in hockey, but I knew it was a tough industry—particularly a tough industry for a woman—to crack into.”

Kate was hired in 2017 by Devils General Manager Ray Shero, and she has worked in every department of the front office. She coordinated the scouting of both amateur and professional players. She was a consultant on instant replays during games, dealt with contracts, and developed an eye for talent. When Tom Fitzgerald was promoted to GM in 2020, he promoted Kate to Executive Director of Hockey Management/ Operations.

Jessica Campbell:

Jessica is coming in with quite a “fire” to her name. She is the first woman that will be behind a bench in the American Hockey League. Jessica is the Assistant Coach for the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken. Jessica said in an interview with ESPN “I always had a belief as a young girl, playing boys' hockey until I was 17, that I was equal and capable too. I've never focused on my gender. Growing up, I never dreamed of coaching, because I didn't see it and therefore didn't know what that path looked like. But for young athletes now, it's so important to have that visibility for them to understand they can literally be anything they want. Some of the guys I will be coaching, their daughters can now watch them have a female coach. And that opens up the conversation, which can inspire young girls for something they might not have seen as possible." Campbell is the former captain of Cornell University and played in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. She also played for Canadian National Team before retirement as a player. Jessica then put her focus on coaching skills and power skating.

Jessica spends the off-season in Chicago. She works for the USHL development program, while also working for Tri-City Storm and programming Windy City Storm Girl’s Hockey. She is also in the NHL Coaches Association’s mentorships program for the last 2 years.

While these are not the only 2 women that have made a name for themselves this off-season in operational roles within hockey. Cammi Granato and Emilie Castonguay, have both been named Assistant General Managers for the Vancouver Canucks. Meghan Hunter was named Assistant General Manager for the Chicago Blackhawks. Emily Engel-Natzke was promoted from Hershey Bears, AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals, to the Washington Capitals position of Video Coordinator. Emily becomes the first full-time female coaching staff member in the NHL.

Women in sports are breaking barriers

Samantha Wismer - Super Storm Podcast/ Olde City Sports Network