Toronto Maple Leafs: Does Jack Campbell Have a Shot at the Olympics?

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell is tearing up the NHL right now.  He sits among the league leaders in save percentage and goals against average so far this season and has proven that last season’s success was no fluke.

Despite Campbell’s success with the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is still a lot of doubt when it comes to his chances of receiving an invite to join the US Olympic team.  Most hockey commentators are predicting that Campbell will be watching the games at home instead of on the ice.

The last time NHL players were at the Olympics was 2014 where Team USA brought along the trio of Jonathan Quick, Ryan Miller and Jimmy Howard.  It seems like a safe bet to assume that Miller and Howard will not be returning to the team and Quick may be a long shot.

Almost every reputable analyst prediction I’ve found is going with the duo of Connor Hellebuyck and John Gibson with most picking Thatcher Demko as the third goalie.  Michael Finewax of NBC Sports chose Spencer Knight as the third goalie while Matt Teague from The Score chose Ben Bishop as the third goalie.

The only prediction I’ve found that includes Jack Campbell is from ESPN‘s Emily Kaplan.

Toronto Maple Leafs Jack Campbell Should Be on Team USA

In my opinion, Jack Campbell should definitely get an invite to play on Team USA for the Olympics as he’s put up the best numbers out of any of the goalies mentioned.

I can’t argue much about inviting Connor Hellebuyck as he won the 2020 Vezina Trophy and has been a top goalie in the NHL for a few years now.  John Gibson has been a top goalie in the past and is off to a great start so far this season but his stats haven’t been great the last couple seasons.

Here’s a look at some numbers (hockey-reference.com):

Connor Hellebuyck
2021-2022 .909 SV% 2.97 GAA
2020-2021 .916 SV% 2.58 GAA
2019-2020 .922 SV% 2.57 GAA

John Gibson
2021-2022 .921 SV% 2.49 GAA
2020-2021 .903 SV% 2.98 GAA
2019-2020 .904 SV% 3.00 GAA

Jack Campbell
2021-2022 .936 SV% 1.90 GAA
2020-2021 .921 SV% 2.15 GAA
2019-2020 .904 SV% 2.80 GAA

Thatcher Demko
2021-2022 .907 SV% 2.99 GAA
2020-2021 .915 SV% 2.85 GAA
2019-2020 .905 SV% 3.06 GAA

Spencer Knight
2021-2022 .887 SV% 3.27 GAA
2020-2021 .919 SV% 2.32 GAA

Jonathan Quick
2021-2022 .935 SV% 1.98 GAA
2020-2021 .898 SV% 2.86 GAA
2019-2020 .904 SV% 2.79 GAA

By the numbers, Jack Campbell definitely deserves to at least be in the US Olympic conversation.  Campbell has put up better numbers than any American goaltender since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Jack Campbell deserves an invite on merit alone, but there are a few other reasons why he’d be a great fit on the team.

Even if Connor Hellebuyck is your top goalie, why not have his good buddy Jack Campbell along for the ride?  Campbell is a great teammate and could be a great locker room presence for the team even if he’s the third goalie.

Another Toronto Maple Leafs player, Auston Mathews is destined to be the star of Team USA.  Even if Jack Campbell isn’t the starter, he’d at least be a familiar face for your star player.

Hopefully Jack Campbell will continue to have success with the Toronto Maple Leafs and get the call to live the dream of an Olympic appearance.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see.