With former Seattle Kraken assistant Jessica Campbell newly looking for her next destination, what of other ex-Kraken coaches?
Dave Hakstol, Kraken Head Coach (Seasons 1-3)
Assistant coach is Dave Hakstol’s current job description with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs have advanced to the 2nd round of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, after winning the President’s Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season team.
Hakstol has drawn criticism both internally and from Avalanche fans for Colorado’s head-scratchingly weak power play. Evan Rawal addressed that in January in the Colorado Springs Gazette.
“Running the power play isn’t Hakstol’s only job in Colorado. It’s a big part of what he does here and to say the power play has been disappointing is an understatement, but that’s not all he does.
“He’s in charge of the forward group that has some players playing better defensive hockey than ever before. Defensive detail has always been Hakstol’s bread and butter, which is part of why hiring him to run the power play was a little confusing. But he should get credit for how this forward group is working in its own end.”
Dan Bylsma, Kraken Head Coach (Season 4)
“I am doing a personal reset,” Dan Bylsma told the Fire and Ice podcast in February, “to see what my next goals are, reflect on what happened in Seattle.
“I certainly would have liked to coach the Kraken a little bit longer. But the marker we set at the beginning of the season we didn’t reach. I still take a lot of pride and joy seeing guys I got to coach in CV like (Jacob) Melanson go up there and do well.”
Bylsma currently is writing a playoff column for NHL.com. He correctly predicted how the Philadelphia Flyers would close out one of his former teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Before the clinching Game 6, Bylsma wrote, “At times in this series, the Penguins have had a tough time getting opportunities, chances and shots on net. I think you remind your team that’s where you’ve had success when you talk about playing 5-on-5.”
Philly’s Cam York scored Game 6’s only goal in overtime to send Pittsburgh home for the summer.
Former Kraken Assistants
Jay Leach (seasons 1-3): Leach returned to Boston in 2024 as a Bruins assistant. He had coached their AHL club, the Providence Bruins, for five seasons before joining Hakstol in Seattle.
At the time, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said, “Jay was very successful with Providence, where he greatly impacted our player development system.”
Hired to work with the defense, Leach himself played 12 pro seasons on the blueline, including 70 NHL games with New Jersey, San Jose, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Boston.
Leach has already survived two Bruins head coach changes. One month into his first season, Jim Montgomery was replaced by interm Joe Sacco. Before this past season, Marco Sturm became the permanent Boston bench boss.
Paul McFarland (seasons 1-3): McFarland is one of two ex-Kraken assistants now serving in similar roles with Pacific Division rivals. He just finished his first season with the Edmonton Oilers.
Previously, McFarland was an NHL assistant in Toronto and Florida, as well as being a successful head coach in junior hockey. Less than a month after he was relieved along with Hakstol in 2024, he was named coach of the Calgary Hitmen. He led that team to a 45-17-6 record before joining the Oilers.
He told the Calgary Herald, ““I’ve been able to work with unbelievable people and unbelievable players. It’s been great experience to get to know those players and get to see them on a daily basis, to see how they work, how they prepare, how focused they are.”
Dave Lowry (seasons 2-4): A holdover from Hakstol’s staff, Lowry was dismissed along with head coach Bylsma after the 2024-25 season. Lowry just signed a two-year extension to remain as a Calgary Flames assistant.
Lowry played his final four seasons in Calgary, a 1,084-game NHL career which also included time with the Blues, Panthers, and Sharks. Dave’s son Adam Lowry is captain of the Winnipeg Jets.
Bob Woods (season 4): Woods, an ECHL Hall of Famer and Calder Cup-winning coach in the AHL, came in with Byslma and left with him, too.
He racked up more than 1,000 NHL games as an assistant in Seattle, Washington, Anaheim, Minnesota and Buffalo. These days, Woods participates in four different curling leagues in Utica, NY, but hasn’t ruled out a return to coaching.
The two current assistants who joined the Kraken last year along with head coach Lane Lambert are Chris Taylor and Aaron Schneekloth.
Earlier Kraken:
— Glenn’s Gem’s; Kraken Draft, Free Agency Plans Take Shape
