Seattle, Wash.- Former WHL coaches Clayton Beddoes and Christine Beddoes are heading west to join the PWHL’s newest franchise in Seattle, Wash.
The duo is coming aboard as assistant coaches for the team’s inaugural season, alongside Head Coach and fellow WHL alum Steve O’Rourke.
“We are thrilled to add Christine and Clayton to our bench,” General Manager Meghan Turner said in a news release. “Both have deep hockey knowledge and unique abilities to communicate effectively in diverse environments. They are exceptional individuals with experiences that helps establish our culture from day one.”
Bumstead made history as the first-ever female member of the Saskatoon Blades’ coaching staff when she joined the team as a performance coach in 2023-24.
The Blades captured the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as WHL regular-season champions with a 50-win campaign and remained competitive in 2024-25 despite losing several key players to the professional ranks.
At the same time, Bumstead has been on the bench for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies as an assistant coach for the women’s squad.
The Winnipeg, Man. product is also the Head Coach for Canada’s Women’s Deaf Hockey Team and a member of the NHL Coaches Association Female Coaches Program.
She’s been tapped as a guest coach for the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and became the first female Panthers coach for Florida’s preseason games against the Nashville Predators on Sept. 14, 2024.
“I am honored to join PWHL Seattle, helping drive excitement for PWHL’s expansion as a whole,” Bumstead added. “I am so excited to contribute to this historic moment, supporting a strong team culture and shared success each time players hit the ice. I have no doubt Seattle will become a powerhouse fanbase for women’s hockey.”
Beddoes is making tracks for the Pacific Northwest after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Red Deer Rebels (he was also the team’s skills coach in 2014-15).
In 2023-24, Beddoes and the Rebels upset the star-studded Medicine Hat Tigers in the first round of the WHL Playoffs before being downed by Bumstead’s rival Blades in round two.
Hailing from Bentley, Alta., Beddoes also has an extensive international resume, highlighted by a five-year run as a Head Coach and assistant with the Italian Men’s National Hockey Team and an appearance at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games as an assistant with China’s National Hockey Team.
“Being entrusted on the coaching staff for PWHL Seattle’s inaugural season is a challenge that I accept with honor and enthusiasm,” Beddoes remarked. “I look forward to working with Coach Bumstead, Coach O’Rourke and all of the staff members in Seattle to sow the seeds for what will surely become a successful franchise.”
PWHL Seattle bench boss Steve O’Rourke spent more than nine seasons in the WHL as a coach (and three more as a player) and overlapped with Beddoes in Red Deer in 2014-15, when O’Rourke was an assistant coach with the Rebels.
