Meditation has been a part of Joseph Woll’s everyday life for the last few years, but the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender has leaned into it further by ditching the distractions that are social media.
Joseph Woll entered the Toronto Maple Leafs locker room and had to take a brief pause due to the surprise of some extra people hanging around.
"I'm not used to seeing so much media in the locker room," he said with a smile.
Woll was indeed back in the show.
It's been just over a year since Woll last appeared in the NHL. In November of 2021, He was called up to the Toronto Maple Leafs shortly after goaltender Petr Mrazek re-injured his groin. Woll made four appearances in goal where he posted a 3-1-0 record and became the first goaltender to post a shutout at UBS Arena after a 3-0 victory against the New York Islanders on Nov. 21, 2021.
His last game in the NHL was Dec. 5, 2021, where he allowed six goals, but was busy making 35 saves in a 6-3 loss against the Winnipeg Jets.
Woll likely would have had an opportunity to atone for the loss later in the season when the Maple Leafs were in need of two goaltenders with first-stringers Jack Campbell and Mrazek unavailable, but Woll was dealing with a shoulder injury that ended up sidelining the St. Louis native for eight months.
It was difficult, but he found meditation helpful in coping with it all.
"I always heard about the mental aspect of goaltending as being a very important part of it and for so long I really didn’t do anything to grow that part of my game to grow my mind and improve the mental side of it," he said. "It’s just been exponential growth in that way. I think recently there’s been more of an emphasis on that for me."
Woll began to start meditating after his first season with the Toronto Marlies in 2020. Not pleased with his results (11-16-3 with an .880 save percentage during the 2019-20 season), the expanded Maple Leafs staff filled with sports psychologists introduced him to some techniques.
He credits that for helping him get through the difficult and long process that was dealing with his shoulder injury over the past year.
Woll took it a step further roughly three-to-four months ago by ditching social media. There was no particular reason for the move others than he found that he was on the apps for way too long.
"The way my mind works, I think I’m best served when I’m just focusing on what I want to do and it really helps me keep my focus on what’s important to me in my life," Woll explained. "I guess the one drawback is you don’t see what’s going on with your friends, so I made a list of people I want to keep in touch with."
The mediation and focus in his game allowed Woll to stay in the moment when he made his return to the Marlies on Nov. 25 in a 4-1 win against the Cleveland Monsters. Woll won his next 10 starts eclipsing the previous team record for consecutive wins in a single season at 11.
Shortly his 12th win of the season on Friday against the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg on Jan. 27, Toronto Marlies head coach Greg Moore notified Woll that he was getting called up. Earlier in the night, Matt Murray was unable to make his scheduled start against the Ottawa Senators with what was later revealed to be an ankle injury and Woll was on the next flight home to join the Leafs, where he backed up Ilya Samsonov in the team's 5-1 win against the Washington Capitals.
On Monday, he was reunited with goaltending coach Curtis Sanford who spent the better part of 90 minutes on the ice working with his new pupil.
Woll missed Maple Leafs camp but goalie coach Curtis Sanford was sure to make Woll feel like part of the team. In the offseason, Sanford invited Woll out for a dinner to get to know one another.
'I think was really awesome by him to establish that personal relationship," Woll said of Sanford. "I know he’s got my back and I know he’s there for me at that level. So when I come up here I have a lot of trust and a lot of faith in what he does."
Woll credits a lot of what Sanford and the rest of the goaltending and training staff planned for him in helping him have the hot start to the year with the Marlies.
While injured, he was able to still skate in a controlled setting. Away from the ice, Woll used Vizual Edge hockey training, a series of games on an ipad that helps improve his tracking and vision.
Former Maple Leafs goaltending prospect Kasimir Kaskisuo recently demonstrated some of the techniques on his YouTube channel.
But in Woll's latest role, he'll back up Ilya Samsonov as Murray recovers from his latest injury. And depending on how long Murray is out, Woll could see some spot duty for the Leafs, especially when they come out of the holiday break coming up with a pair of home-and-home against on Feb. 10 and Feb 11 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
But whatever he's is asked to do, the 24-year-old Woll is mentally ready for it. Given what he's overcome this year and how strong he returned, the Maple Leafs have confidence in the goaltender.
And a lot of it comes between the ears.
“The biggest thing for me has been keeping a steady mindset regardless of the outcome or the ups and downs of the season," Woll said. "Just trying to keep to be as steady as possible and I’ve been fortunate enough to have really good results with the Marlies. My goal, win or lose, is to keep my mind the same."