Sometimes, a fresh start is all you need to rediscover your confidence and joy.
After two seasons in Toronto, including the inaugural season of the PWHL when she won Goaltender of the Year, Kristen Campbell was traded to the Vancouver Goldeneyes in exchange for two draft picks. From the very first Goldeneyes post-game press conference with Kristen Campbell on Dec. 16, 2025, the joy of a fresh start was evident.
“It’s been so incredible,” she said about a new start with a brand new team. “Just the team, the staff, everyone has been so supportive and uplifting, I couldn’t be happier here.”
The change and renewed joy of the game not only made things better off the ice, but on the ice, too. After a bit of a sophomore slump in her second year in Toronto, where she found herself sharing more of the net and lost her spot on the national team, Campbell has found her confidence again.
She finished the 2025-26 season with a 2.17 goals against average and a 0.913 save percentage. The Goldeneyes struggled defensively and offensively, but their goaltending was strong all year long.
I sat down with Kristen to talk about the joy she’s felt this season and her love of playing in Vancouver.
The Ice Garden: Can you talk a little bit about what has brought that joy and excitement for you here in Vancouver?
Kristen Campbell: I think obviously, starting a new franchise out here and being on the West Coast, bringing professional hockey out here has been incredible. Just the response we had from the fans, playing in this building is really special, and honestly, I’ve never felt anything like it. So loud in here, it makes you smile. I find myself singing along to music during the games; it’s just such a great vibe here in Vancouver.
And our team, girls coming in from all over, the team has been incredible, and we have a lot of fun together on and off the ice, and the staff also has just been super supportive and uplifting. Everyone just wants to get the best out of each other and get the most out of each other.
So I think that’s kind of what’s been like, giving me that passion and energy.
Let’s go back a little bit to the off-season. You were traded to Vancouver during the draft. What was kind of going through your mind at the time?
KC: Obviously, a lot was going on at the time, but it was really exciting reuniting with people. I mean, [Brian Idalski], I played for at the University of North Dakota. I’m really familiar with him, so it’s been amazing being able to play under him again.
And then the relationships I had with girls on this team, playing with a lot of them on the national team, being good friends with Emerance [Maschmeyer], and knowing we had a strong partnership and that we really support each other, I was really excited to have that.
So I think it was just a lot of excitement at the time, a lot of possibilities, and then a lot of opportunity.
Can you talk a little bit about playing with Brian Idalski? How he approaches the game, and what you like about being coached by him.
KC: When I came to North Dakota, I was a redshirt freshman, and he really saw this belief in me and believed that I could achieve the things I wanted to in my hockey career. So, I think our relationship goes way back.
He’s very positive but also holds you accountable…and you always know that he has your back, and it’s such a great relationship. He’s the type of coach where you want to go out there, and you want to win for him, and play for him, and do well because he expects so much of you. I think that expectation gives you that much more confidence in yourself.
Author note: A redshirt season is a season in which the athlete does not play to extend their eligibility.
Have you had to change your mindset at all this season, going from playing the majority of games in Toronto to splitting them with Emerance Maschmeyer?
KC: Honestly, it’s a new opportunity for me, a different type of challenge that I’ve really been embracing and enjoying. I think the biggest thing is that both of us just want to help our team win, so we’ve been really leaning on each other and making that goalie partnership super strong. We’re helping each other, and whoever is in the net, we’re doing whatever we can to help our team win.
We both obviously want to win every time we’re in [the net], but we know that when we take care of what we do best as goalies—we’re completely different goaltenders—if we’re checking our own personal boxes, we’re going to get the team results.
So that’s what I’ve really been focused on, is when I’m in the net, making sure that I check my personal scorecard, and I’m doing all the things that I do that make me a special goalie in this league, and then the end result will be inevitable for our team to get those wins.
I think just controlling what you can, but it’s definitely been a new challenge, and it’s really been one that I’ve been enjoying.
How do you think this joy, passion, and enjoyment of playing helps you play your best hockey with the Goldeneyes?
KC: You have full passion, you have full happiness, full mental health. I think when you have all those things, you’re gonna get the most out of yourself, and you’re gonna play your best hockey, because you’re just playing free, you’re playing fearless, and you’re having a lot of fun.
My theme for the season was consistency, and whenever I got the opportunity, going out there and delivering and playing consistently, but above all, being free and fearless out there. I think the environment that we’ve been able to create here at the Goldeneyes allows you to have that fearlessness and freedom within your game. Working with our goalie coach, Joey Ali, it’s been incredible for me. He’s really tapped into that side of the game for me. The game is so dynamic, so being able to come up with creative solutions—maybe you’re out of position— and just come up with a save.
I think there’s been just a ton of positives here, and obviously, when you’re happy, you’re loving what you do, you play your best hockey.
Author note: This interview was conducted in February 2026. Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.