Officially in Toronto's top two goaltenders on the depth chart, Woll gets the nod against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks on Monday.
Officially in Toronto's top two goaltenders on the depth chart, Woll gets the nod against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks on Monday.
It was just a matter of time before Joseph Woll was going to make his season debut in goal.
That time will come Monday when his Toronto Maple Leafs host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.
"He looks way more comfortable and knows he belongs here now," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Woll. "He’s earned that through his play last season and he’s given us no reason to doubt that from his performance through camp and pre-season.
Woll missed Leafs camp last season after shoulder and ankle injuries that lingered from the season extended into 2022. When he recovered and joined the Marlies, the 25-year-old posted a 16-4-1 record with a .927 save percentage.
During a limited run with the Leafs, Woll out-performed his Marlies numbers with a 6-1-0 record and a .932 save percentage.
When starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov sustained a neck injury during the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Florida Panthers, it was Woll who was selected over a healthy Matt Murray to take the Russian goaltender's place.
But now with a full training camp, everything resets for Woll and he feels he's benefited from a full Leafs camp to settle in nicely for his first start.
"For me, the ideal habit of training camp is to practice your habits in season," Woll said. "That’s the transition period, so when the season does start, ideally you are comfortable with your habits. For me, hopefully, nothing has changed."
Samsonov started the first two games of the 2023-24 regular season and although he's won both of them, his save percentage is .839.
Keefe admitted that the Russian goaltender hasn't found his groove yet, but also feels his team's defense hasn't set up their netminders for success.
"No matter who is in goal, there’s a responsibility for our team defence to help take care of our goalies and we haven’t done it," Keefe said. "There should be a level of structure and security around the goaltenders that allows them to find that groove and their confidence and everything falls into place from there."
The Leafs have hopes that Samsonov, who was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million by an arbitrator this summer, can increase his workload beyond 42 games this season. His career high is 44 with the Washington Capitals. If he can stay healthy and the Leafs go with a two-game, one-game split, that should put Samsonov at approximately 55 games and Woll at 27. That would be a big jump for both goalies.
Monday's game will be Woll's 12th in the NHL.
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