Joseph Woll makes significant progress toward his comeback.
It’s been two and a half months since the Toronto Maple Leafs lost their rookie goaltender, Joseph Woll, to an ankle injury. Initially, the starting goalie position for the Maple Leafs was anticipated to be filled by Ilya Samsonov. However, rookie Woll had taken over that role until he got injured during a game against the Ottawa Senators on December 7.
On Wednesday morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Woll would be sent to the Toronto Marlies for a conditioning stint. Although Woll had returned to Maple Leafs practice recently, he hadn’t participated in any game action, either as a starter or backup. This conditioning stint indicates that he’s nearing a return to the ice for the main team.
The Marlies have consecutive games scheduled this upcoming weekend in Laval, on Friday and Saturday nights against the Rockets, and it’s reasonable to expect that Woll will get some playing time in one of those games.
Before his injury, Woll had started 13 games for the Maple Leafs and made two relief appearances, accumulating an 8-5-1 record with a 2.80 GAA and .916 save percentage, according to statistics from hockey-reference.com.
Since being drafted in the third round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Woll has consistently been considered the Maple Leafs’ top goalie prospect. However, he has faced injury challenges every season of his professional career, playing more than 20 games only twice (in 2019-20 and 2022-23), with his rookie season with the Marlies seeing him play a maximum of 32 games.
When he’s been healthy, Woll has demonstrated NHL-level goaltending skills, with a career record of 24-17-7, a 2.62 GAA, and a .919 save percentage. However, his ability to stay off the injured list remains a significant test for him.
Since Woll’s injury, Samsonov reclaimed the starting goalie position but struggled, losing four out of five games and conceding 20 goals on 122 shots (.828 save percentage). Samsonov was placed on waivers, went unclaimed, and spent some time away from the team before returning. Since his return, he has posted a 7-2-0 record with a 2.10 GAA and .916 save percentage.
Jones, on the other hand, had a strong run with the team while Samsonov struggled, winning five out of seven games with a 1.29 GAA and .953 save percentage after Woll’s injury. However, his performance has dipped since then, with a 2-4-1 record, a 3.78 GAA, and .865 save percentage in his last seven games, starting just two games since January 21.
