The Dallas Stars have always had a way with either acquiring great goalies, or developing young netminders into future stars. After all, the Stars drafted goalies like Marty Turco (5th round, 124th overall, 1994), Mike Smith (5th round, 161st overall, 2001) Dan Ellis (2nd round, 60th overall, 2000) and Jason Bacashihua (1st round, 26th overall, 2001), to name a few.

They acquired goalies Brent Krahn and Matt Climie to lead their farm team, the Texas Stars, to a surprising run to the Calder Cup Finals this past season.

Jack Cambell

The Stars’ only Stanley Cup was won behind the great goaltending of Ed Belfour in 1999.

All of these Stars draft picks or acquisitions ended up being above-average goaltenders in their own leagues, but strangely enough, these goalies have mostly gone their separate ways. Turco is now an unrestricted free agent without a job while Ellis and Smith are now the tandem in Tampa Bay. Bacashihua is now a minor leaguer with the Colorado Avalanche who made appearances with the Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears this past season.

But there seems to be a trend that the Stars’ goaltending scouts know what they are talking about and know what they are looking for. So who was it that the Stars picked with the 11th overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft?  A goaltender. Specifically, Jack Campbell, the gold medal-winning American hero of the IIHF World Junior Championships in Saskatoon. The promising 18-year-old netminder was the number-one ranked goaltender in the 2010 draft as a result of the USA Hockey National Development Team Program. This program has produced some great American hockey stars like Patrick Kane and Erik Johnson, two first overall picks in their respective drafts.

Campbell committed to the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL next season. The Spitfires have been known as a powerhouse team in that league for quite some time. Remember, this is the team that produced powerhouse stars in the recent past like Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler. He’s in good hands.

Campbell has some good company to work with in his ascension to the NHL, and that will be important in building mental toughness and technique. The Stars are a team on the rise, making his arrival at any point a good one. Being 18 years of age and ranked number one is no small feat.

One thing the Stars need to pay attention to: as of right now, he will not play on a bad team on his way to the NHL, granted he makes it that far.

Campbell won a gold medal with a great American team this past year. He will play for the Windsor Spitfires, a powerful team in the OHL. Then once he makes the jump out of juniors to the American Hockey League, he will play for a team that is coming off of its first-ever Calder Cup Finals appearance. If he makes it far enough, he will be the backstop in the big leagues behind good players like Jamie Benn, Scott Glennie and James Neal.

Where’s the adversity there? Sure, if Campbell is naturally good as-is, he will prevent his teams from being bad to an extent, but his path seems a bit too paved without significant bumps in the road.

It’s too tough to tell for now, because anything can happen, and nothing is certain.

Jack Campbell has a long road ahead of him. But if he is like any other Stars goaltending prospects, he will fit in just fine. It might take a while, but he’ll get there.

The Stars didn’t pick him 11th overall for nothing.

-Jordan Kuhns