Kristen Campbell

Kristen Campbell made history at the 2019 NCAA Tournament by shutting out every opponent on the way to a national championship with the Wisconsin Badgers — becoming the first woman to win a Frozen Four title without allowing a goal. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of that tournament, capping a season in which she set a Wisconsin single-season record for wins and led the team to the top of the WCHA standings.

Campbell grew up in Brandon, Manitoba, and began her college career at the University of North Dakota, where she appeared in five games during the 2016-17 season before the program was discontinued. She transferred to Wisconsin, and in her first season with the Badgers she was named WCHA Goaltender of the Year, earned a spot on the All-America Team, and was a Top-10 Finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. In her final season with Wisconsin — shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic — she backstopped the program to the top of the WCHA regular season standings and became the fourth goaltender in program history to record 90 wins.

Internationally, Campbell has represented Canada at multiple levels. She was part of the Canadian team that won gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics and has added three World Championship gold medals (2021, 2022, and 2024) and a silver medal (2023) to her international résumé. At the U18 World Championships, she helped Canada claim silver in 2015.

Before the PWHL was formed, Campbell was a member of the PWHPA, participating in the 2021 and 2022-23 seasons — with time away in between for Olympic centralization. Playing for Team Scotiabank in 2022-23, she appeared in 11 games, winning five and posting a .920 save percentage. She was then selected 14th overall by Toronto in the PWHL draft and was named PWHL Goalie of the Year in the league's inaugural season. She currently plays for the Vancouver Goldeneyes.

Campbell has been a recurring presence in InGoal's technical coverage, working extensively with goalie coach Brad Kirkwood — who coaches her both with PWHL Toronto and with Hockey Canada. In a series of Pro Drills pieces Pro Drills with Kristen CampbellPro Drills with Kristen CampbellPro Drills with Kristen CampbellPro Drills with Kristen Campbell, Campbell and Kirkwood detailed elements of their practice work together, including crease movement fundamentals, puck-handling habits, visualization techniques, and butterfly rotation and edge control. On the subject of scanning, Campbell noted that Kirkwood's consistent emphasis on intentional head movement during practice has carried over directly into games: "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," she said Pro Drills with Kristen Campbell.

The visualization work Campbell described goes beyond simple mental rehearsal. She explained that Kirkwood will assign specific scenarios — naming the shooter's handedness and position — for the goalies to work through with eyes closed, and that by the time pucks are introduced, the movement already feels familiar Pro Drills with Kristen Campbell. On butterfly movement, Campbell described the emphasis on rotation and edge control: "It helps a lot with control and controlling your edges and then also controlling your body" Pro Drills with Kristen Campbell.

Puck handling has been another consistent focus. At the NET360 Goalie Camp in 2023, Campbell was observed using every available moment in practice to make passes — taking the role of initial passer in drills, snapping pucks to her partner after glove saves, and finding ways to add handles even when the drill's primary purpose was something else. "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," she said Pro Tips: Kristen Campbell’s Puck-Handling Secrets. Kirkwood noted that Canada's goaltenders are integrated into the breakout, and that Campbell is expected to hit the tape reliably to help the team exit the zone.

Off the ice, Campbell has collaborated with manual osteopathic therapist and kinesiologist James Wendland on a series of training and body-alignment exercises. Filmed at her KC Elite Goaltending Camp in Kelowna, B.C., the work — which spans hip stability, foot and ankle activation, balance board exercises, and gaze stability drills — has been documented across multiple InGoal articles Pro Training with Kristen Campbell (and James Wendland)Pro Training with Kristen Campbell (and James Wendland). Campbell also appeared in Wendland's earlier rocker board 5 (actually 7) Damn Things with a Rocker Board and Bosu ball 5 Damn Things with a Bosu with James Wendland segments. After working through the foot and ankle routines, she described a tangible change: "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" 5 Damn Things to Improve Goalie Feet.

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