Five-year Eagle and 2020-21 team captain Wil Campbell has committed to Indiana Tech. 

The Bulverde, TX native spent five seasons with the Northern Colorado Eagles and wrapped up his career with 202 games played with the organization, finishing second all-time. 

“Thank you to Hads for rolling the dice on a kid from San Antonio,” Campbell offered.

That kid from San Antonio grew into one of the most decorated players in team history. His career spanned 202 games and four playoff runs. In the span of five seasons, Campbell recorded 21 goals and added 47 assists for 68 points. His Eagles tenure was chalk full of memorable moments. 

“I still remember my first goal in juniors at the Las Vegas Showcase during my rookie season,” reminisced Campbell.

As a rookie in 2016-17, he was a part of the double overtime game in the division final playoffs over the rival Ogden Mustangs to win the Mountain Division and advance to the National Championship, the second division title and appearance in the National Championship for the franchise.

During 2018-19, he was a key piece in the defensive corps when the team moved home rinks from NoCo Ice to the Greeley Ice Haus, where the Eagles posted an 18-7-0 record at home and the Texan became only the 10th skater in team history to crack the 100-game threshold.

In 2020-21, Campbell became just the fifth Eagles captain in franchise history. In nine seasons, Head Coach Steve Haddon has only named five captains, a strong indicator of Campbell's character.

“Being captain meant a lot to me. I was able to take what I learned from past captains and mix it with being flexible on a week-to-week basis with the pandemic,” explained Campbell.

Campbell is the only captain in Eagles history to help lead the organization to first place in the Mountain Division regular season standings. The season was marked by unique challenges like going two months without a home game and playing ten games in ten days, which was highlighted by the team’s gutty 3-2 shootout victory over Provo in Campbell’s 200th career game.

“Playing 10 in 10 was an unforgettable experience and the group of guys we had made it very enjoyable,” he added.

"Starting and finishing your junior career with the same organization is something very special.  It was an honor to watch Wil grow and develop as a player and a person over the past 5 years,” reflected Haddon.

For his part, Campbell talked about his varied experiences learning from solid defensemen who preceded him.

“I started at forward, just so I could make the lineup. Coach Haddon has always had a strong defensive corps. I was able to learn from all of them and apply those lessons to my own game,” he noted.

After such a decorated junior hockey career, Campbell had numerous college offers at the NCAA level in the United States and the ACAC/BCIHL levels in Canada. However, he wanted to find the right fit and opportunity, particularly an option that included golf. 

“I’ve never had the opportunity to play both competitive golf and hockey at the same time. It had never been available before and it was really important to find an opportunity where I got to balance both,” declared Campbell.

Indiana Tech provided that chance. He will also see a familiar face, as fellow Eagle Riley Tucker committed to the Warriors earlier in the spring. Head Coach/GM Steve Haddon could not be prouder.

“He has been such a big part of our organization. I want to thank him for all his hard work and commitment on and off the ice to our organization and the community. We are all very proud of him and wish him all the best," declared Haddon.

The effusive compliments are a two-way street. Campbell also wanted to share special thanks to the group of people that he has been with for the last five seasons.

“Special thank yous to Kim, Kylie, Jay, and Tanner for all of their hard work and time they have sacrificed over the years for the success of the Eagles organization,” he concluded.

Main Camp opens August 25th and if you are a player that is interested in joining the Eagles organization for the upcoming season, please e-mail coach Haddon at Haddon@northerncoloradoeagles.com.