Leafs prospect ranked the 6th best at his position in the entire league
The Leafs are coming into the 2023-24 season having rolled back the same core and surrounded them with a very solid supporting cast. Having brought in the likes of Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, John Klingberg and Ryan Reaves, the team certainly looks a lot different than it did at this point last summer. Now, it's up to the players to make the most of the upcoming campaign.
One of the biggest question marks in Toronto is, how will the goaltending hold up this season? The Leafs are coming into this season with a trio of goalies in Ilya Samsonov, Joseph Woll and Martin Jones - all of whom experienced varying levels of success last season. There won't be much controversy in goal, however, as the primary tandem is expected to consist of Samsonov and Woll, with the veteran Jones brought in to be the experienced 3rd string netminder.
On the subject of Woll, all eyes will be on the rookie goaltender this season. He posted a 2.16 GAA and a .932 SV% through 7 appearances with the Leafs last season, going 6-1-0. Going back a year, he went 3-1-0 with a 2.76 GAA and a .911 SV% in his first career NHL stint, albeit a brief one at just 4 games. The 25-year-old appears to have all of the tools to be a quality NHL goaltender, but just how high is the ceiling? Well, according to Elite Prospects - it's very high.
Elite Prospects goalie scout Greg Balloch assembled a comprehensive list of the top 15 goalie prospects and pieced together an article showing the work behind his results. Where did Woll rank? 6th overall, according to Balloch.
The skills are there, the poise is there, the positioning is there, the athleticism is there, the work ethic is there - Woll not only has all of the tools to be a solid goaltender, but his early returns in Toronto appear to be giving credibility and merit to Balloch's belief in Woll.
All I can say is it's about time that the Leafs drafted and developed another legit goaltender. Now it's up to Woll to put it all together and have a solid first NHL season behind Samsonov, perhaps even challenging for the starting role at some point this season. At the moment, though, Samsonov is expected to be the team's 1A, so if Woll wants to take the net, he'll have to make the most of his opportunities in behind Sammy.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 27 | 598 ANSWERS Leafs prospect ranked the 6th best at his position in the entire league Will Joseph Woll steal the starting job from Ilya Samsonov this season? | ||
| Yes | 254 | 42.5 % |
| No | 130 | 21.7 % |
| One step at a time - let's see him play 30+ games | 214 | 35.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
