Kristen Campbell

Kristen Campbell made history at the 2019 NCAA Championship by shutting out every opponent in the playoffs, becoming the first woman to win the Frozen Four without conceding a goal. She was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, capping a season in which she set a University of Wisconsin record for wins in a single year and led the NCAA in wins, goals-against average, and shutouts. That 2018-19 campaign also stands as the high-water mark of her college career numerically, though her first season with the Badgers in 2017-18 had already earned her WCHA Goaltender of the Year honors, an All-America selection, and a top-10 finish for the Patty Kazmaier Award.

Campbell grew up in Brandon, Manitoba, and arrived in college hockey by way of the University of North Dakota, where she appeared in five games in 2016-17 before the Fighting Hawks abruptly discontinued their women's hockey program. She transferred to Wisconsin, where she would eventually become the fourth goaltender in program history to record 90 wins. Her final college season, shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, still saw the Badgers finish atop the WCHA regular-season standings.

On the international stage, Campbell has represented Canada at every level from the U18 World Championships — where she helped Canada earn silver in 2015 — through to the senior national team. She was part of the Canadian team that won Olympic gold in 2022, and she has collected three gold medals at the Women's World Championship (2021, 2022, 2024) along with a silver medal in 2023.

Before the PWHL was formed, Campbell competed in two seasons with the PWHPA, with a gap for Olympic centralization in 2021-22. In the 2022-23 season playing for Team Scotiabank, she appeared in 11 games, going 5-and-something with a .920 save percentage. She was then selected 14th overall by Toronto in the PWHL Draft, and in the league's inaugural season she was named PWHL Goalie of the Year. She currently plays for the Vancouver Goldeneyes, wearing number 50.

Campbell works extensively with goalie coach Brad Kirkwood, both with her PWHL club and with Hockey Canada's national program. InGoal has documented that partnership across multiple drill breakdowns filmed at PWHL Toronto practices and at the NET360 Goalie Camp. In a series of Pro Drills features ^[1][2][3][4], Campbell walked through crease movement fundamentals, puck-handling principles, and the visualization work she and Kirkwood incorporate regularly. On the importance of scanning, she said: "When I started working with [Kirkwood] he would always yell at me for scans but in games I don't think you can ever scan too much. I think it's helped make the transition to game play seamless in the sense of always being aware what is coming at you." ^[1]

The visualization drills Campbell described in that series go as far as closing her eyes during shot simulations. "He's always giving us a situation to visualize and we'll do it with our eyes closed sometimes," she said of Kirkwood, "and I find then when we get into a goalie session it does feel like you have already done that drill and you are just more prepared to start with pucks." ^[3] She also noted a balance benefit: "If your eyes are closed you have to rely on knowing where your body should be on your skates so I would say it even helps with your balance and your stance." ^[3]

Campbell's approach to puck handling drew detailed coverage from InGoal at the NET360 Goalie Camp in 2023 ^[5]. The throughline observed there — making herself the passer in drills whenever possible, taking every available repetition with the puck — reflects the Kirkwood principle she articulated directly: "I think it's important that no matter what's happening on the ice you're finding a way to keep improving your puck handling." ^[5]

Off ice, Campbell has collaborated with manual osteopathic therapist and kinesiologist James Wendland on a series of balance, hip, and foot training exercises, filmed at Campbell's own KC Elite Goaltending Camp in Kelowna, B.C. ^[6][7]. That work includes rocker board and Bosu Ball exercises aimed at edge control and hip stability, and extends into gaze stability drills using Trac-Optics goggles. Campbell noted the tangible effect of Wendland's foot work on her skating: "Having not done it much before, it felt like my foot was finally opened up and unlocked and before it was super rigid in my skate and they always hurt inside my skate too. I did also notice I was much lighter on my feet after opening up my feet." ^[8]

InGoal Magazine has covered Kristen Campbell in two podcast appearances, four drill breakdowns, and six InGoal articles.