Campbell 'pretty surprised' by AHL demotion: 'I felt like I was playing well'
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell admitted he was "pretty surprised" when he heard that he'd been demoted to the AHL's Bakersfield Condors amidst his ongoing struggles with the big club.
"(It was) pretty tough, not gonna lie," Campbell told reporters Thursday, including Sportsnet. "I'm pretty hard on myself, I think that's pretty well documented around the hockey world. Obviously, it's a results league up there - really anywhere - but I felt like I was playing well, had some confidence. But obviously, the numbers weren't good enough."
The Oilers placed Campbell on waivers for the purpose of sending him to Bakersfield on Tuesday. The beleaguered netminder owns a 1-4-0 record with Edmonton so far this season to go along with an .873 save percentage and 4.50 goals against average. Campbell also ranks among the 10 worst goalies in both goals saved above average (minus-4.88) and goals saved above expected (minus-3.24) at all strengths, per Evolving-Hockey.
Prior to Campbell's demotion, his running mate, Stuart Skinner, had actually posted a lower save percentage (.856). However, Campbell's high-danger save percentage (.639) was worse than Skinner's (.767) at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Campbell's comments came right after his first start with the Condors. He allowed four goals on 20 shots during the club's 4-1 defeat to the Abbotsford Canucks.
Abbotsford's third tally at the midway mark of the contest was particularly brutal:
Jack Campbell is broken broken 😬 pic.twitter.com/385qKnwdz1
— Rachel Doerrie (@racheldoerrie) November 10, 2023
"Tonight was just about getting out there," Campbell said postgame. "I think a lot of emotions, a lot of nerves. I want to play well for the group. ... I wanted to do well, didn't quite go as planned. For me, it's just about staying with my details.
"I have some things I've got to keep working on to get to the next level in my game, and that doesn't change whether I'm here or up in the NHL. Just gotta get to work tomorrow."
Thursday's outing was Campbell's first action in the AHL since the 2018-19 campaign. The 31-year-old is currently in the second season of a five-year, $25-million deal. He posted an .888 save percentage and 3.41 goals against average in 2022-23 - his first year in Edmonton.
The floundering Oilers are the NHL's second-worst team in the standings in 2023-24 with a 2-9-1 record.