In this post, I’m time to briefly discuss Joseph Woll. I believe he can be a very good goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the upcoming season, and beyond. Looking at Woll’s stats, we can observe some very positive trends over the seasons.
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Woll’s Performance Trend
In the 2019-20 AHL season, Woll played 32 games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. His save percentage (SV%) was 0.880 and his goals-against average (GAA) was 3.75.
During his time in the NHL, his performance trended upward. In the 2021-22 NHL season, Woll played four games with an SV% of 0.911 and a GAA of 2.76. In the 2022-23 NHL season, he played seven games. He also showed significant improvement with an SV% of 0.932 and a really strong GAA of 2.16.
Indications Are That Woll Is Improving Season by Season
Overall, Woll’s statistics show an upward trend in performance over the past seasons, both in the AHL and the NHL. His save percentage has consistently improved. He’s also shown the ability to handle NHL pressure with impressive performances even in limited appearances.
While these are relatively small sample sizes, it looks as if his further development will improve with more NHL experience. In fact, this should be the season fans will be able to truly judge his long-term potential. The trends suggest that Woll has been making strides in his goaltending abilities. That’s nothing but a positive sign for his future in professional hockey.
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Woll Has an Exciting NHL Resume, But Are There Concerns?
Woll’s NHL resume to date is excellent. Over two seasons, he’s played 11 regular season games and four post-season games. The young goalie has looked good. On paper anyway, his .924 regular season and .915 postseason save percentage is something the Maple Leafs’ organization is betting on. He looks more than capable of handling the job of the team’s backup.
In four total seasons at the professional level, Woll has a combined 99 regular and post-season games under his belt. Taking both the NHL and AHL into consideration, he’s averaging just under 25 games a season.
The question right now is whether the twosome of Woll and Ilya Samsonov can handle the entire season as the main two goalies for the team. Neither of these goalies has handled more than a 50/50 workload in their times in the NHL.
Look for Woll to Continue to Trend Upward
There’s good reason to believe that Woll can handle every situation he’ll be put into. He’s done it in the past and his numbers have always trended upward. He’s been able to learn on the job and his game has evolved nicely.
He’s shown he’s more than a flash in the pan. Shooters at both the AHL and the NHL have not found any weaknesses in his game. With good coaching, Woll should continue to improve. While Woll might not be able to hold his save percentage at .924, it would seem reasonable to believe he can do the job at the NHL level.
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