Jack Campbell's amateur career ended this past weekend as the OHL season came to a close. Campbell, drafted in 2010 in the first round by the Dallas Stars, didn't have the best career in the juniors and is likely extremely relieved to be moving forward as word has come down that Campbell has been assigned to the Texas Stars to start his pro career.
Campbell decided to forgo playing for Michigan and instead headed to the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League and immediately faced more adversity than he ever saw in the US National program. Campbell was a very good player on a bad team and his numbers reflected this, although he seemed to improve as the season progressed. This year, Campebell was traded from Windsor to the Soo Greyhounds -- and it became immediately clear that situation wasn't much better.
Campbell's numbers in the OHL aren't very good at all, but from what we've been told (and what I've seen in the few games I've watched) Campbell was by far the best player on that team. The Greyhounds attempted a rebuild in the middle of the season and in effect gutted the team, and Campbell was the only reason his team had a chance to win on most nights. Campbell's final game, against his old Windsor team, saw the goalie allow nine goals -- in a win.
Campbell now heads to Austin and will likely take the ice for the Texas Stars later this week. The Stars have struggled with Andrew Raycroft and Tyler Beskorowany both underperforming in goal and this move allows Campbell to get a head start on his pro career, as it's expected he'll be the full time starter in the AHL next season.
Austin Smith will also likely sign his contract today and should be joining Campbell in Austin this week. Smith has said that everything with Colgate is in order and he's good to move on from his college career, after scoring the most goals by any NCAA player this past season.
There are just a handful of games remaining for the Stars this season but this will be invaluable experience for two players who are expected to be a big part of the future of the Dallas Stars.