Jack Campbell’s playing days are over, but he’s not leaving competition behind so much as changing the arena.
The former Los Angeles Kings goalie announced Monday that he is retiring from professional hockey after nine NHL seasons and will start work as an identity and performance coach with Novus Global. In an Instagram message, Campbell said the shift came after he realized the most meaningful part of his life was no longer in the crease.
“Walking away from hockey wasn’t easy. It gave me more than I could have ever imagined. But over the last few years, I realized the work that brought me the most fulfillment wasn’t stopping pucks-it was helping people become who they’re capable of becoming.”
Campbell’s name will be tied to several NHL stops, including Toronto and Edmonton, but his career really took shape in Los Angeles. Drafted 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2010 NHL Draft, he spent years trying to carve out a real role at hockey’s highest level. He made his NHL debut with Dallas in the 2013-14 season, though chances were limited and he had trouble getting traction.
The turning point came in 2016, when Dallas traded him to the Kings.
That move opened the door to Campbell’s best stretch as a pro. His breakout season arrived in 2018-19 after Quick missed significant time because of injury, and Campbell answered with a .928 save percentage, a 2.30 goals-against average and two shutouts in 31 appearances. Just as important, he gave Los Angeles a steady presence during a transitional time, earning the confidence of teammates and coaches with dependable night-to-night play.
He stayed strong the next season as well, finishing with a save percentage above .900 and a goals-against average below 2.75 before the Kings sent him to the Maple Leafs during the 2019-20 season.
Toronto put him on a bigger stage, and Campbell kept building on what he had established in Southern California. His play earned him a spot in the 2022 NHL All-Star Game and made him one of the top goaltenders on the free-agent market that summer.
Edmonton came calling with a five-year contract in 2022, betting he could stabilize the crease. That didn’t happen. Campbell never found the same consistency there that he had shown with the Kings and much of his time in Toronto, and the Oilers bought out the rest of his deal during the 2024 offseason.
His last season came in the Detroit Red Wings organization, where he played 14 games for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins but did not get back to the NHL before deciding to step away.
Campbell’s path wound through Dallas, Toronto, Edmonton and Detroit, but Los Angeles was where the story changed. The Kings gave him the chance that turned a former first-round pick into a trusted NHL goalie and eventually an All-Star. Now, he’ll use those lessons in a new role, working with athletes, executives and other high performers as an identity and performance coach with Novus Global.
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