BLOG: Campbell's personality positively perfect for Edmonton

EDMONTON, AB - The recently signed Jack Campbell has a dual reputation among many of his Oilers teammates. Good guy. Great goaltender.
"An amazing person. Very nice guy. As a goaltender, he's somebody who just tries to push the envelope and push his abilities as far as he can with his work ethic," Zach Hyman said Monday at his Celebrity Golf Classic in Toronto. "I think that will fit really seamlessly into the group that we have here, just extremely talented and competitive. A great addition for us."
Campbell joins the Oilers locker room already with some familiarity with members of the roster. Outside of his years in Toronto with players like the aforementioned Hyman, Tyson Barrie, and Cody Ceci, the goaltender was also a junior teammate of Darnell Nurse in 2011-12 with the Soo Greyhounds.
The defenceman only played one season with Campbell, but he had nothing but glowing reviews of the newest Oilers netminder.

"One of the nicest people I've ever met in hockey. He's an ultra-competitor and we're extremely lucky to have him wearing an Oilers jersey," Nurse said about his time in the OHL with Campbell. "He's a competitor. You could tell in Junior that no matter what was going to be in front of him, he was going to work his way past it. That's why he's had the success he's had. As an organization and a team, it's really excited to have Jack on the team."
Despite Campbell's reputation of being an outstanding teammate with a positive and well-tempered personality, it's all business on the ice for the 30-year-old netminder.
"He's cheery, but he's a competitor. He wants to win. He works, he's one of the hardest workers I have played with," Nurse said. "I wouldn't take that soft-spoken demeanour to not think he's a competitor."
Campbell's comportment was well known by another recent Oilers free-agent splash in Hyman. The two were close during their time in Toronto together and Hyman played a key role in reassuring the goaltender that Edmonton was a perfect place to continue his career.

"It's tough. I went through the same kind of decision the year before. Everybody thinks it's so exciting and amazing, and it is, but there's also the element of uncertainty and going to a new environment," Hyman said. "I tried to convey my experience as best as possible and be open and honest about how I felt about Edmonton. I think everybody's situation is different, but for me, it was a perfect fit."
Traditionally every July 1 (or July 13 under last season's circumstances) you'll often see players lobbying some of the best free agents on the open market to join them. When that player has the sterling reputation that Hyman has, the words seem to hold a little more weight.
"I take everything he said very seriously, he has amazing integrity," Campbell said. "The second I asked him about all that stuff, I was definitely really excited about the opportunity."
The familiarity in the Oilers locker room and the glowing recommendations by those former teammates definitely eased the decision-making process for free agency's top goalie. Another part of the Oilers organization that helped lure Campbell to Edmonton was the club's offensive firepower. The Port Huron, Mich., native listed off players like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman as puzzle pieces he's excited to suit up alongside.
For the Oilers team captain, who was familiar with Jack Campbell the goalie and not the person, his optimistic outlook was very apparent in their brief exchanges.
"I don't know him a ton personally, but I've just had a couple of conversations with him since he signed. He just seems like a real positive guy and brings a lot of good energy. His on-ice game speaks for itself," McDavid said of the career 2.53 GAA puck-stopper.

The mindset Campbell brings to the table is well suited for playing in Edmonton. Canadian cities, rightly or wrongly, have a notorious reputation for excess scrutiny that many other hockey markets seem to avoid. The Oilers captain believes that Campbell's mentality and experience already playing in a hockey-crazed city like Toronto has him well tailored for the challenges that are ahead of him.
"If he can be the starting goalie for the Leafs you can be the starting goalie anywhere," McDavid said. "Obviously, this is the hockey hotbed and there's a tremendous amount of pressure for whoever fills that net. He's occupied that job for the better part of two years and he's done a great job doing it."
Dealing with a hyper-engaged fanbase is a challenge that Campbell appears to relish, because he knows what the rewards can be. The goaltender admitted to watching some of the Oilers playoff run, where the Rogers Place fans showed what having success in a city like Edmonton is like. Now Campbell has the next five years to help push the Oilers towards their ultimate goal, and experience it for himself.
"When Edmonton called on free agency day and we ended up getting that deal done, I remember feeling grateful and honoured. I felt that they committed to me and believed in me for the next five years," Campbell said. "All I can think about is being the best I can be today. I just want to show up with this group and win with this group."