Jersey's Got Skills

After she left the Seattle Kraken, it seemed like hockey was letting one of the smartest minds in the game sit on the sidelines with Jessica Campbell being unemployed. Some neanderthals will argue that's where she likely deserved to be, but it's hard to argue about the work she did with the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds in helping them reach back-to-back Calder Cup Finals. In any case, the wait is now over as Campbell has been hired by the New Jersey Devils as the team's manager of hockey development, and this might be a role that suits her best when it comes to building skills and identifying strengths and weaknesses in players. If you want someone who focuses on the details to ensure results are being achieved, Jessica Campbell brings that to the New Jersey Devils.

Campbell's tenure with the Firebirds saw her working with players on the skill development side as a skills and skating coach, and there's an argument to be made that the Devils could use some of that knowledge she possesses after missing the playoffs by eleven points last season. That's not to say that the Devils don't have good players, but there's a case to be made that more skilled teams make the playoffs more often. If Campbell is managing the entire portfolio of hockey development, skills development should fall under her watch.

We haven't seen a lot of high-end talent come out of the Utica Devils in recent years for New Jersey, so Utica could be the landing spot for players that GM Sunny Mehta and Campbell identify as future Devils. With Mehta and his scouting staff identifying players they want to sign and Campbell evaluating their skills, adding Campbell could prove to be be a very fruitful hiring for the Devils if they start identifying and developing players quicker. That will help in a number of areas including success on the ice, on their balance sheet with respect to the salary cap, and by attracting more high-end talent.

"She's very detail oriented. She listens very well to the players and what we want to do," former Devils defender Damon Severson said of Campbell's coaching approach. "It's not always just about going out with her and putting drills on the ice and we just do them. She wants to hear the players' feedback and what we want to work on throughout the summer. She just wants to get herself better."

That kind of growth she's pursuing would have interested Mehta who in worked for the Devils from 2014-18 as their director of hockey analytics where he built the first full-time analytics department in the NHL. Clearly, Mehta is a forward-thinking guy who uses as much knowledge and data as he can to make smart moves, so having someone who can build on the skills of players that he acquires makes sense if the Devils are going to compete for a Stanley Cup.

Everything seems to point to Mehta's experiences watching and learning from the architects who built the Devils in the 1990s that led to success that spanned a decade, and it sounds like Mehta is all-in on the developmental aspect of the Devils who will look to build a strong AHL team in Utica with players who can step into an NHL role at any time. That's where Campbell will play a vital role in helping Mehta achieve that vision with her commitment to development.

For a guy who was once a poker player, rolling the dice with Campbell in charge of hockey development seems like a sure win. There might be some bumps along the way as nothing ever comes easy, but Campbell's dedication to improving player skills and Mehta's dedication to improving the Devils seems like pocket pair of aces.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!