Torrent Head Coach Christine Bumstead Speaks on Kraken Dev Camp and Hectic Summer
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - It’s been an eventful four-week stretch for Christine Bumstead. The 30-year-old was named the Seattle Torrent’s second head coach in franchise history on June 11th, had to prepare for the PWHL’s entry draft on June 17th in Detroit after that, and has been working through the final phases of expansion and free agency leading up to this week at Kraken Development Camp back in the Pacific Northwest.
July 2nd, “Stucky Cup” day at development camp at the Kraken Community Iceplex, represents exactly four weeks from Bumstead’s official hiring by the Torrent. It’s been a hectic stretch for the Winnipeg, Manitoba native, but she’s never shied away from an opportunity and doesn’t appear to be doing so now.
Christine Bumstead, Seattle Torrent head coach, seen at Kraken Development Camp at the Kraken Community Iceplex. (Photos by Walter Williams for Circling Seattle Sports)
Despite the loaded schedule and hectic past few weeks, Bumstead had no hesitation when she was invited to participate in this year’s Kraken Development Camp. Christine has been living out of her suitcase the last month or so, having been in Pittsburgh for the NHL Coaches Association Global Coaches’ Clinic before flying to Detroit for the PWHL Entry Draft, where the Torrent made six selections.
Following the draft, Bumstead was home for four days, keeping that suitcase open at the foot of her bed before packing it again to return to the Pacific Northwest for the first time since the Torrent’s inaugural season had ended. She’s ready to not touch that suitcase for a while after the last stretch of weeks, but that’s not to say she isn’t thrilled with every opportunity she’s involved in lately.
“It’s definitely been a whirlwind, but it just keeps adding to the excitement. It hasn’t even truly sunk in to me. Becoming a head coach, it hasn’t even sunk in to me how great we did in the draft this year; it hasn’t sunk in to me just even this opportunity. It just keeps coming, coming, coming, so I’m really looking forward to going home, debriefing, reflecting, and then truly planning through the excitement for what next year will be for us.”
Christine Bumstead, seen typically in the upper right part of the photo with red hair, behind the bench as an assistant coach with the Seattle Torrent during their inaugural season at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
This camp with the Kraken wasn’t going to present Bumstead with any surprises or learning curves, as she’s been through the development camp experience with the Florida Panthers in 2024 and later joined the team behind the bench for a preseason game against the Nashville Predators.
That experience with Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is one that Bumstead says made her a better coach. Given the positive memories of development camp, a positive year for herself already in Seattle, and now taking the top job with the Torrent, it’s not hard to see why it was such an easy decision for Christine to accept the invitation.
Kraken assistant general manager Alexandra Mandrycky was the one who called up Bumstead to extend the invitation. It may seem like a small gesture, but that invitation from Mandrycky, the sixth woman elevated to her position at the time of the promotion, showcases a bit of the community that Bumstead seeks to forge during her time in the Pacific Northwest.
“Alex Mandrycky called me. I think it was before I got hired; I truthfully can’t remember, but she called me a couple of weeks ago and said, ‘We’d love, if you’re not doing any dev camps yet, we’d love to have you out.’ For me, this is a no-brainer, because it’s in a community now that I’m familiar with, and I want to make more connections in Seattle hockey. We share a building; I want to really foster that collaborative relationship with the Kraken and their development staff. It was great to kind of come and do it.”
The Kraken have women in some key positions across the organization, including Mandrycky and Katelyn Parker, who works as a player development coach. Jessica Campbell, who has spoken with Circling Seattle Sports a few times about women’s hockey in Seattle, is pursuing new opportunities in the NHL but has been an inspiration to many during her time with the Kraken organization.
Bumstead lauded Seattle’s overall investment in women, including the Torrent's arrival in the city through the PWHL’s expansion process, the Kraken's investment in Mandrycky, Campbell, and Parker, and the many other women behind the scenes in the organization. That backing from Seattle is important to Christine, who knows that it’s crucial for the next generation of women to see what’s possible in the sport.
“It’s really special, and it feels like more than the token invite and things like that. You feel a part of it; you feel very welcomed, included, and just excited. Excited to be here all the way through last year, and moving into this next season with the Torrent, and our players also feel invested in. They feel invested in by Seattle, and that’s why they love to play here.”
Bumstead isn’t the only PWHL representative at an NHL development camp this week, with six others with PWHL ties or soon-to-be PWHL ties in different camps around the NHL. Torrent first-round pick Abbey Murphy is joined by University of Minnesota teammate Chloe Primerano and University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Caitlin Kraemer as players at Edmonton Oilers development camp, while PWHL Las Vegas defender Erin Ambrose joins them but as a coach.
Vancouver Goldeneyes forward Jenn Gardiner is staying close to home by joining the Canucks as a coach for their dev camp, while Toronto Sceptres assistant coach Rachel Flanagan joined the Dallas Stars as part of the NHLCA Female Coaches program. All of these women, whether participating as players or lending their hockey knowledge as coaches, have valuable experience and the ability to showcase it with these invitations to their respective development camps. Bumstead views this wave of PWHL involvement as the league continuing to prove itself.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female; whoever you are. If you have something to provide, whether it’s your skill on the ice, your intensity on the ice, or just your hockey knowledge and coaching knowledge, you’re a value to come... When you have value, and people see that value in you, you’re given a seat at the table. You’re invited into our conversations; you’ll learn from people, and they’ll learn from you as well.”
With Flanagan in Dallas and Ambrose in Edmonton, there are decades of hockey experience between them to share with NHL prospects in their respective camps. After heaping praise on those two for their respective careers and what they can provide at those camps, Christine shifted her focus to a young player she hopes will become a key veteran in Seattle over time: Abbey Murphy. Bumstead believes that this opportunity at Oilers camp allows her to prove herself in the same way she will during her rookie season with the Torrent in the PWHL.
“She’s getting her first taste of that in Edmonton, and we’re so excited for her, love seeing the video, and also just talking to her about her time there. She’s thriving there; it’s great to see. She’s gonna learn from their staff and bring that back to us; it’s all about all the different voices and perspectives you can bring in.”
Christine Bumstead, Seattle Torrent head coach, behind the bench at Seattle Kraken Development Camp at the Kraken Community Iceplex. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
Touching on the experience shared by the others at NHL development camps, Bumstead may not have decades of coaching experience, but she has swiftly risen through the coaching ranks since her first gig as an assistant coach with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey program. She has a strong foundation, of course, learning from her father, Larry, growing up around her dad’s teams, camps, and clinics.
Christine spent four seasons with the Huskies before making the leap to the same league her father had played in, the Western Hockey League. Bumstead joined the Saskatoon Blades as a development coach in 2023, where she became the first woman to serve on the WHL franchise’s coaching staff.
From there, Christine added various coaching experiences, including the aforementioned Panthers development and training camp time. Other stops throughout her journey include serving as head coach of Manitoba’s Female U18 Program of Excellence, and as head coach and general manager for Canada’s women’s team at the 2024 World Deaf Ice Hockey Championship.
A key tool for Bumstead developed over her career is her ability to connect with players, something she learned in a different chapter of her life: the classroom. Christine received her Bachelor of Education from the University of Winnipeg, and she’s been praised for her ability to connect with players throughout her coaching career.
With that strong coaching foundation and a coaching career on the rise, Bumstead continues to look for opportunities to grow and to improve upon her own abilities. She’s used this development camp to continue learning and asking questions, while chipping in with her advice when the right moment arises. A goal of Christine’s this week was to give these Kraken prospects a taste of what professional hockey entails, both on and off the ice.
“It all just comes down to questions, truthfully. With the athletes, if you see something, say something. If you’re watching them do a couple reps of a drill, and there’s a tidbit that you can give, it doesn’t matter if you’re coaching men or women; the game is the same. It’s different, but at the end of the day, the game is the same, and so these players, their dream is to make the NHL; that’s their goal. I would love that for them. That’s just going to make Seattle Kraken hockey even better. It’s the same at our level; our players want to make the PWHL, and they want to be successful there. We want to bring a Walter Cup back to Seattle the same way that the Kraken want to bring a Stanley Cup here. Might be a little bit of a race to see who does it first, but I think it’s important to just share that knowledge and work with players, no matter if they’re male or female. I’ve worked with both; you just want to continue... The goal is to help the athlete and the individual get better, and the team is better in the end. ”
That note about racing to a Walter Cup before the Kraken win a Stanley Cup will get Seattle hockey fans excited, hopefully for better days ahead for both franchises as they look to build on their early years. It also feeds into what Bumstead already knows about the Emerald City: their deep passion for the sports teams that play here.
Christine got a front-row seat to what Seattle fans can do when they rally around a team, as the Torrent drew record crowds throughout their first season in the PWHL. In talking about the city and its passionate fans, she highlighted the Kraken dev camps group trip to a Mariners game when first-round pick Chase Reid threw out the ceremonial first pitch, as well as the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run this past season.
Having seen so many different ways Seattle shows up for its teams, such as a packed rink one (Starbucks rink) at the Kraken Community Iceplex on a weekday for the fourth annual “Stucky Cup,” Bumstead wants to reward those fans for their loyalty.
“Our crowds were second to none... We love to play in front of them, and it’s the same with the Kraken; Seattle loves their sports, and it’s great to be a part of. You feel so special to be on those teams and be on the ice playing in front of Seattle, because they show up for us, and we want to show up for them in the same way and show them that same respect,”
With the rink emptying as fans, players, and coaches alike head in different directions for the rest of their summer before the fall, when training camp gets underway, Bumstead began a bit of reflecting she vows to do once that suitcase is left unpacked for a bit. When she was younger, she never envisioned that coaching was the path she’d be set on, rather wanting to be on the ice as a player.
Although her playing career didn’t last long, playing four years at St. Mary’s Academy High before one season with the Polar Ice of the MWJHL, Christine views that as just a quicker start to her coaching career as opposed to a disappointing close to her time on the ice. Her love of teaching, including her time as a full-time teacher in Manitoba five years ago, has led her to this unique path that began when she packed up that same classroom and moved to Saskatchewan to coach.
Given the similarities between coaching and teaching, Bumstead has found a happy medium between the two, helping her excel and reach the position she’s in today. Still early in her career behind the bench, Christine already has a desire to give back to the game that’s given her so many opportunities.
More will be thrown at her when the Torrent begin training camp towards the end of the calendar year, with the major challenge of improving from their last-place finish in front of Bumstead in her path. It will be a difficult slope to overcome, but Christine has never shied away from what lies ahead.
“Young me never saw this for herself, but I’ve never shied away from an opportunity. I think you just continue to say yes to them as they come, and you’ll always learn, make connections, and things like that. The last five years have been a bit of a whirlwind for myself, but it’s all about how you prepare and the work that you put in. The more that you prepare and learn when the opportunities come, you’re going to be ready for them. That’s, for me, the biggest part of just this ride I’ve been on the last five years through Saskatchewan and now to Seattle, but I’m very fortunate for it all”
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Cover photo of this article by Walter Williams.
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