As he navigates an intensified workload and a difficult stretch in the crease, Joseph Woll explains how a personal writing routine helps him "flush" the mental weight of the game.
From a statistical standpoint, it’s been a difficult month for Joseph Woll. The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender is 3-1-2 with an .884 save percentage in January and has twice been pulled from the net in that span. Despite these challenges, the goaltender maintained a level approach when speaking after his most recent outing, a 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday, where he allowed five goals and was pulled during the second intermission.
Woll was back on the ice for practice on Tuesday. Followoing the session, he opened up to reporters about the personal routine he uses to process the highs and lows of the position, noting that he writes stuff down to get everything out and move forward.
One could understand if the goalie’s confidence were shaken, as Woll has given up five or more goals in back-to-back appearances for the first time in his career. While much of these struggles stem from a lack of strong defensive play in front of him rather than individual error, the weight of the losses remains. Nevertheless, Woll feels that writing out his feedback helps him mentally move on from the game.
“It helps me. My mind can spin and spin on games like I imagine a lot of other people, so for me, it helps me kind of put it to rest,” Woll said. “I know I can let it go because I've taken what I need from it and I can just kind of flush it”.
While Woll awaits head coach Craig Berube’s decision on who will start Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings, he provided insight into why it is so difficult to unwind during the season.
“Playing every other day. it's a harder schedule than playoffs right now, right?" Woll noted. "Like, playing every other day with back-to-backs. So not really a day off, to be honest with you”.
Woll is doing his best to weather this increased workload while his teammate, Anthony Stolarz, remains sidelined due to injury. While Stolarz is joining the Marlies on a conditioning stint, there is no clear timeline for his return to the Leafs' net.
Consequently, Woll hasn’t been able to perform in a true tandem situation all season long. Given the fatigue of the schedule, it may make sense for the club give Dennis Hildeby the next start to allow Woll a much-needed breather.
“I have to be an adult too, which sometimes I wish not because it's easier just to—I mean, we're playing this much, you just want to rest," Woll concluded. "But you have to balance also being a person and, like, I have stuff to do, too”.
Overall, Woll is 11-5-3 this season with a .910 save percentage. He missed the first month of the season after departing the club in the pre-season to tend to a personal matter.