PWHL Seattle has filled out its coaching ranks, adding two assistants to Steve O’Rourke’s staff.
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One is 28-year-old Christine Bumstead, the first woman performance coach for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League. She is also the head coach for Canada’s women’s deaf hockey team, and spent four seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Saskatchewan women’s team.
A member of the NHL Coaches Association Female Coaches Program, Bumstead coached behind the bench for a Florida Panthers’ pre-season game against Nashville on Sept. 14, 2024.
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The other new hire is 54-year-old Clayton Beddoes, who played 60 total games with the Boston Bruins from 1995-97. A center, he also played in the AHL and IHL, as well as in Alaska and Europe.
Like Bumstead, Beddoes was plucked from the WHL, where he spent the past two seasons as a Red Deer Rebels assistant coach. He also coached for several years in Italy, Germany, and China, including as head coach of the Italian National Team from 2017-20.
These hires, like all PWHL Seattle players and staff, are under the watchful eye of general manager Meghan Turner. She sat with us for an exclusive 1-on-1 interview.