Alexander Campbell
2018-19 Team: Victoria Grizzlies (#11)
Date of Birth: February 27, 2001
Place of Birth: Chateauguay, Quebec
Ht: 5-foot-11 Wt: 154 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: Center
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2019 first-year eligible
Rankings
- The Hockey Writers (Pike’s Picks): 107th (final)
- Future Considerations: 56th (final)
- ISS: outside of first round (April)
- Bob McKenzie: outside of top 15 (April; draft lottery update)
- Craig Button: 49th (June)
There are often challenges faced when trying to place young players within the proper context in a particular NHL Draft class. This year, Victoria Grizzlies forward Alexander Campbell poses a pair of challenges: how does his production and talent in junior A compare to players in major junior, and how much of his production was a product of teammate (and likely first round pick) Alex Newhook?
Originally from Quebec, Campbell was a really productive offensive player throughout that province’s high school and prep leagues – he had offensive totals for Stanstead College prep school comparable to Mark Jankowski’s in his draft year (and Campbell put up those numbers while being a year younger than Jankowski was).
Looking for a challenge, he was recruited to the Grizzlies for his 17-year-old season and immediately clicked with Newhook on and off the ice. The duo combined for 169 points over 53 games, powering their team to a division crown and lengthy BCHL playoff run. On his own, Campbell finished seventh in the league in scoring as a rookie.
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While it’s hard to extricate his numbers from Newhook’s – they basically played together for 95% of their season – Campbell has a lot of favourable attributes on his own. He’s smart. He’s good with the puck. He moves well. He’s not big, but he’s elusive. And most importantly, he’s capable of playing with high-end players and contributing as much to his team’s offensive attack as they do.
Newhook has a bit more of a sample size against a high-end peer group than Campbell does, so it’s a bit easier to place him relative to Campbell. That said, Campbell’s performance in the BCHL thus far suggests that there’s talent there. While it’s unclear what exactly he could become at the pro level, he’s definitely intrigued enough teams that he’ll be selected. He’s a bit of a lottery ticket due to his size, but his raw attributes provide a lot for development staffs to work with.
Alexander Campbell – NHL Draft Projection
Campbell seems likely to be selected in the third round, though a team that falls in love with his potential might take him late in the second round.
Quotables
“Campbell is a pure goal-scorer and benefited from having Newhook on his line (a lot of defenders would set their sights on Newhook, allowing Campbell to exploit the extra room to his advantage). Campbell’s hands are very quick and he uses his speed to beat defenders. The Clarkson University commit has a shifty ability to avoid checks and finds open ice well on the power play. If he’s available late in the third round, expect whoever drafts Newhook to give Campbell a shot as well.” – Steven Ellis, Dobber Prospects
Strengths
- Good skater with nice high-end speed.
- Elusive in managing to avoid body checks
- Good puck distributor.
- Smart player who knows where to be to finish off offensive chances.
Under Construction (Improvements to Make)
- Needs to keep filling out physically and building up muscle.
- Doesn’t have a huge sample size against higher-end opponents, so his developmental ceiling is a bit of a question mark.
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NHL Potential
Campbell projects as a middle six offensive forward at the pro level. Stylistically, he somewhat resembles Paul Byron.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk – 1.5/5, Reward – 4/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense 8.5/10, Defense 8/10
Awards/Achievements
Campbell represented Canada at the World Junior A Challenge. He was named the BCHL’s Rookie of the Year for 2018-19.
