Leafs goaltending prospect excelling at the AHL level, may not be far off from being NHL-ready
It has been a long road over the past year for Joseph Woll as he suffered a serious shoulder injury in March, forcing him out of action for several months. Just as Woll was on the verge of returning from his shoulder injury, he suffered an ankle injury, which had him sidelined even longer.
Thankfully, the Leafs' top goalie prospect has worked his way back to full health and has started the year with an 8-0 record, setting a Marlies franchise record for longest win streak to start a season. Even better, Woll has a 2.25 GAA and a .934 SV% over those 8 starts. His latest masterpiece was a 56-save win over the Laval Rocket on Sunday.
With Woll finally showing significant upside, the Leafs are in an excellent position in goal. Not only do they have Matt Murray signed through next season, they also have Ilya Samsonov, who is a pending RFA and is still under team control for at least one more season. Beyond that, they have Erik Kallgren, who has some NHL experience, Woll, who seems to be reaching his potential as a pro finally, a handful of goaltending prospects who can challenge for starts at the ECHL and AHL levels and multiple goaltending prospects overseas in Dennis Hildeby, Artur Akhtyamov and Vyacheslav Peksa all playing at a high level this season.
What was once an area of weakness for the Buds is now an area of strength. While most of these names are not viable NHL options yet, perhaps, in time, one or two may work their way up. For Woll, it may be as soon as the next couple of years.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 8 | 239 ANSWERS Leafs goaltending prospect excelling at the AHL level, may not be far off from being NHL-ready Do you think Joseph Woll will make the Jump to the NHL next season? | ||
| Yes | 130 | 54.4 % |
| No | 56 | 23.4 % |
| Not sure | 53 | 22.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
