He hopes his move to Boston will prove as fruitful.
"It's part of the business," said Campbell of the deal that brought him to Boston, along with Nathan Horton, for Dennis Wideman and a first-round puck in June. "I was traded in junior, but it's been a while since I've been through a change like this."
Campbell was traded from Plymouth to Kitchener prior to the 2002-03 season in the Ontario Hockey League, and went on to win the Memorial Cup — the top prize in Canadian junior hockey — in 2003 with the Rangers.
Now he has come to a place where he hopes he will be able to add a Stanley Cup to his resume. It's certainly a better possibility in Boston than his previous NHL stop in Florida.
"There's a lot of history here," said Campbell. "This is obviously an Original Six team, so you have those rivalries that have developed over many years. Florida being an expansion team, you don't really have that. But there's the expectation here to win. The goal here is to win the Stanley Cup. The mindset in Florida is a little different. It's to make the playoffs. Here making the playoffs isn't good enough. Really winning is what everybody is here for. It's exciting to be a part of that."
Campbell, 26, hasn't played in the playoffs since that Memorial Cup run, as the Panthers failed to qualify for the playoffs in all five of his seasons there, and even his two seasons in the AHL with San Antonio failed to produce a postseason berth. But Campbell was instrumental in that Memorial Cup win, posting 15-4-19 totals in 21 playoff games and leading all scorers in the Memorial Cup.
He hasn't been as prolific a scorer in the pros, but he has recast himself into a valuable role player as a bottom-six energy forward and penalty killer. And he plans to bring that same approach to Boston.
"I want to do more of the same things I did in Florida," said Campbell. "I am a guy who plays an important role on the penalty kill. [I'm] a responsible player, an energy player. I think I'm pretty versatile. I can play wing or I can play center. I've basically flip-flopped my whole career, playing both wing and center."
That doesn't mean Campbell doesn't have aspirations of filling up the scoresheet again. He did post career highs with 13 goals, 19 assists and 32 points in 2008-09, and hopes to get back to that level after managing just 2-15-17 totals last year.
"I really want to get back to where I was two years ago offensively," said Campbell, who has 29-56-85 totals with 319 penalty minutes in 365 career games in the NHL. "I think I can contribute in that respect. For me, I'm the type of guy that has to be solid in both ends, but I think that's what the team needs — a player they can depend on defensively but that can step up in those offensive areas on any giving day."
Bruins coach Claude Julien has already liked what he's seen from Campbell after an adjustment period in camp.
"I think we've learned about him as much as he's learned about us," said Julien. "I think he's feeling more and more comfortable. Somehow, I get the feeling that he was not nervous, but trying to feel his way in, and certainly see him being able to play even better."
Julien was particularly impressed with the feistiness Campbell brought to the Florida lineup in past years.
"I've seen him at his best with Florida, and he's another guy that can get under people's skins just by his play," said Julien. "He doesn't back down from anybody. He's gritty. He'll do whatever it takes. He'll drop the gloves against anybody. He doesn't care, and you know, he's one of those types of players that in a game, when he's at his best, not too many guys work as hard as he does."
Campbell was the first Bruin to drop his gloves this year, taking on Phoenix's Vern Fiddler in the opener on Saturday. He also showed some of the other little things he adds to a team in those first two games in Prague as he chipped in a pair of hits, two blocked shots and led the Bruins in the face-off circle on Sunday, winning eight of the 10 draws he took.
Not bad for a guy largely overlooked as a throw-in to the deal for high-scoring winger Nathan Horton, not that Campbell minds taking second billing to his longtime teammate, who certainly lived up to the hype with three goals in the first two games.
"That's to be expected," said Campbell. "He's a top player. He's a great player. For me, I'm just soaking it all in here. I don't need the extra attention, I just want to come and help the team in any way possible and focus on playing hockey."
Coming to Boston with a friendly face like Horton has helped make the move to Boston a little easier for Campbell.
"I've been with Nathan for five years in Florida, plus a year in the minors, so it helps to come in with somebody I'm so familiar with," said Campbell. "We got here early together. We live in the same building. It really makes the transition a lot smoother."
And Campbell's new teammates have helped as well, making both former Panthers feel a part of the team right away.
"It's been awesome so far," said Campbell. "The players have been great. Everybody has been very welcoming. It's exciting to be a part of this team that has high expectations."
