In collaboration with the IIHF and Swedish Ice Hockey Association, we're proud to announce that all presentations from the 2025 IIHF International Coaching Symposium will be available on The Coaches Site! Stay tuned as they are released throughout August.
At the 2025 IIHF Coaching Symposium, Jessica Campbell—assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken and one of the most progressive minds in player development—delivered a standout session titled Feeding the Attack by Breaking Down the PK. But rather than beginning with puck movement or shooting options, Campbell started where most coaches don’t: What makes a great penalty kill—and how do we build a power play to beat it?
For minor hockey, junior, and young pro coaches, Campbell’s approach offers a tactical mindset shift. It’s not about drawing up more set plays—it’s about building a power play identity that can react and adapt automatically under pressure. Her message: don’t just prepare your team to run a power play. Prepare them to read and respond to what’s in front of them.
From Power Skating to Power Play Structure
Campbell’s coaching career started with power skating and evolved into a broader focus on player development. After a move to Malmö, Sweden, she expanded her perspective by immersing herself in team systems and tactical teaching. A core belief that’s stayed with her throughout: “Your difference is what gives you your edge.”
That edge now shows up in her coaching philosophy—and it was especially evident during her time with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, where she helped develop one of the league’s most efficient power plays. There, Campbell began building the foundation of what she now teaches at the NHL level.
Understanding the Kill to Build the Power
Before you can build a successful power play, you need to understand the structure and mindset of the kill. Campbell shared insights from her own in-depth study of the NHL’s best penalty kills—breaking down three common formations:
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3-Up: a high triangle with a net-front anchor
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Diamond: compact and aggressive with outside pressure
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Push-Down: designed to smother time and space from the top
Each of these penalty kill structures assigns clear roles: the strong-side D, the net-front defender, and the two forwards (F1 and F2). For Campbell, success on the power play comes from understanding those roles—not to counter with rigid tactics, but to create automatic reactions based on clear identity and positioning.
That was a key message: don’t teach automatic plays—teach automatic spots. Give players clear positional frameworks they can return to under pressure, and build a power play identity that’s adaptable, not scripted.
“They Shouldn’t Have to Be Told”
One of Campbell’s most important takeaways for coaches: Your players shouldn’t be waiting for you to tell them what the kill is doing—they should already know how to react. That’s why the most successful power plays aren’t built on complexity—they’re built on repetition, clarity, and shared understanding.
Top power plays know how to:
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Maintain structure under pressure
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Stay aggressive on puck retrievals
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Recognize what the kill is giving them and attack it decisively
That all comes back to two core elements: foundation and identity.
Six Ways Power Plays Score
From her film study, Campbell identified six major categories of power play goals at the NHL level:
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Faceoff wins → quick pressure and early shooting
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Zone entries → with possession and speed
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Broken plays → capitalizing on chaos
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Second attacks → layered offensive pressure
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Pressure breaks → beating overcommitment
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Clean looks → off set plays and puck rotation
For coaches, this gives a clear blueprint: teach your players how to execute in these six moments, and you give them tools to stay dangerous—even when Plan A breaks down.
Trends from the League’s Best
Campbell highlighted key habits from top-producing power plays:
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Win the draw, shoot early—commit to establishing threat from the opening second.
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Second-wave mentality—if the first look doesn’t work, create another attack.
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Puck recovery and entry execution—when cleared, regain structure with a clear entry plan.
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Adapt to pressure—teach solutions for pressure, not just formations.
From U15 to junior to pro, these are teachable, repeatable habits that build confidence and clarity.
A New Kind of Power Play Coach
Jessica Campbell is part of a new wave of coaches redefining special teams development. With a foundation in skating and player development, and tactical maturity from her time in Sweden, the AHL, and now the NHL, Campbell brings a rare blend of technical detail and emotional intelligence to the bench.
Her coaching voice is calm, clear, and confident—and her ability to break down complex systems into teachable chunks is what makes her sessions so valuable. If you’re a coach looking to modernize your special teams and give your players the tools to think and react at a higher level, Campbell’s approach is one you’ll want to adopt.
Noteworthy Timestamps:
- 0:00 Background in coaching
- 8:50 Feeding the attack
- 11:00 PK types
- 15:50 The power in power play study
- 21:00 Greatest strength is your greatest weakness
- 27:35 Building the foundation - PP autos
- 36:55 Auto pressure on entry
- 41:00 Establishing the mentality
- 48:40 Key takeaways
