ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Jack Campbell faced his first real AHL test when Canucks prospect Nils Aman was speeding through the neutral zone on a short-handed breakaway in the first period of his first start with the Bakersfield Condors.
It was his opportunity to silence the crowd at Abbotsford Centre who, up to that point, had been sending him mocking cheers each time he made a save.
He stopped the first shot — then Aman buried his own rebound.
Early in the second, the Abbotsford Canucks scored another while down a man — two short-handed opportunities, two short-handed goals.
As the saying goes, when it rains it pours, much like the weather in this Vancouver suburb — Aman then scored his second on a bouncing puck that, somehow, trickled past Campbell. The flood gates opened to end the second and Campbell had allowed his fourth goal on 15 shots, sending the Condors to the final frame down three goals.
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Granted, his team was not doing him any favours with sloppy play on the man advantage. Still, it was not ideal for the 31-year-old making his first AHL start since 2019 and looking to regain confidence after clearing waivers on Wednesday.
Although things slowed down in the third, the blue-and-orange were handed a 4-1 loss.
In short, it wasn’t good enough.
While Campbell will be the first to admit it wasn’t good enough, the broader context here provides a more complete picture.
Campbell is put on waivers Tuesday, clears Wednesday, then makes his first start on Thursday night — a pretty quick turnaround, even for the most seasoned of veterans. Aside from morning skate on Thursday, Campbell hasn’t even practised with this group.
Put up against an Abbotsford Canucks team that has three players atop the points race of the AHL is not an easy first assignment either.
“There’s a lot of skill, a lot of guys who have the skill to play in the NHL,” Campbell said post-game. “You’re going down a league, but it’s not always an easy transition.”
Especially not when, like Campbell, the transition comes as a surprise just one month removed from starting between the pipes, opening night, for the big club.
“It was pretty tough, not going to lie,” he admitted. “I’m pretty tough on myself, I think that’s pretty well documented around the hockey world. Obviously, it’s a results league up there.
“I felt like I was playing well, had some confidence, but obviously the numbers weren’t good enough.”
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The numbers in his first start for the Condors weren’t great either — a 0.800 save percentage in a game that “wasn’t quite my best,” according to Campbell. But whether he saved 16 of the 20 shots or all of them, his objectives during this AHL stint remain the same.
“I’m looking just to have some fun, build on my game and just keep getting better.”
Fun is just what Campbell needs, after departing a 2-9-1 Edmonton Oilers squad who just lost to the lowly San Jose Sharks, and the ever-agreeable netminder believes this squad will provide that.
“Seeing the guys, what they bring to the rink, the energy, the fun they have — it’s contagious. It’s a great quality, being down here now.
“Tonight was just about getting out there, a lot of emotions, a lot of nerves,” Campbell said. “I wanted to do well, didn’t quite go as planned, but you know, for me it’s just about staying with my details. I have some things I have to keep working on to get to the next level in my game. That doesn’t change whether I’m here or up in the NHL.”
His mentality after this loss is to remember it, learn from it and move on.
Just a speed bump on the road back to finding his next level.
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