WASHINGTON, D.C. — The summer after his first taste of NHL playoff action, while the hockey world was gathering for the draft and glued to the free agency, Joseph Woll turned off his phone and embarked on an adventure.
The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender flew across the Atlantic Ocean to the Alps, where he hiked for nine days — solo — through Italy, France, and Switzerland.
By himself, Woll walked through the wilderness, the air thinning as he breathed. The entire mission took him across 100 miles and up 30,000 feet of elevation gain.
Tackling the Alps was the type of grand mission the 25-year-old from Missouri had been contemplating for some time but his summer schedule — development camps, training, and that pesky pandemic — never allowed.
“Something I wanted to do, and I did it,” Woll told Sportsnet during an interview at training camp. “So, it’s good. You get a little more time off, and you’re able to travel. I really enjoy going out and checking stuff off.”
Though he embarked by lonesome, Woll found the trails busier than imagined, and the affable athlete welcomed both the chance to walk with friendly strangers and prolonged stretches alone in nature, listening to music or nothing at all. A couple nights Woll checked into a hotel. Mostly he slept in a tent. One night, a hostel.
“There actually ended up being a couple of people from Toronto. A couple Leafs fans, which was pretty cool,” Woll said. (And, no, they didn’t recognize their favourite team’s third-round pick from the 2016 draft.)
Woll was far removed from the spotlight of playing the most mentally demanding position for the most scrutinized hockey team on the planet.
Also: “There’s no, like, predators in the Alps. Mountain lions, bears, wolves — none of that. So, it’s fairly safe, from a wildlife standpoint. Just a bunch of mountain goats,” Woll laughs.
The serenity of a summer in the mountains is a far cry from the urgency Woll experienced Saturday in Tampa, when he was parachuted into a disastrous first period for the Maple Leafs, down 3-1 on the road to a Lightning team hungry for revenge and predatory on the power-play.
Toronto’s de facto No. 1, Ilya Samsonov was getting mauled by countryman Nikita Kucherov. He’d allowed three goals on four shots and watched his four-game save percentage repel to .831.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe instructed Woll to swap his ball cap for a face mask.
Coming in cold, Woll cleared his mind and isolated one thought: Let’s dial it in and go stop the puck.
That he did, 29 times. A perfect blank-sheet relief effort that backstopped the visitors to a dramatic 4-3 comeback overtime win.
Clutch and composed, Woll controlled his rebounds, quieted the crease, and stoned both Kucherov and Brandon Hagel on clean looks. This after specifically working with goalie coach Curtis Sanford on breakaways this week.
“He really kind of reminds me of Carey Price, his demeanour,” raves Max Domi, who shared a dressing room for two winters with the Montreal Canadiens star. “He’s very calm and relaxed, both on and off the ice. Big body. Moves really technically sound. I’m not a goalie coach by any means, but he’s outstanding.
“He’s great, man. He’s very similar to Pricer. He’s just super low-key, super humble, and just wants to do his job and be a great teammate and have fun.”
Nothing is more fun than winning, and Woll will be given another chance to do so Tuesday in Washington.
Small sample size noted, the backup is outplaying the starter through two weeks, and it’s not particularly close.
Saving 56 of the 59 pucks fired his way, Woll has jumped to a save percentage of .949 and a 1.69 goals-against average. More impressive: He’s a perfect 12-for-12 on shots resulting from a high-danger chance.
“Outstanding,” Keefe said. And again: “Outstanding. These are not easy times, right? To come into a game like [Saturday’s], and really there’s no margin for error. For him to stand his ground the way he did was great.
“Keep building and stacking up good days — that’s always been the message to him. And to me, he took advantage of every practice shot and rep that he had all week and looked great. I think that kind of sent a message to the group that he’s hungry. And because of that work, he was ready for [Tampa], even though he wasn’t supposed to play. So, that’s a great sign for a young player. Really happy for him.”
Does that mean the less-experienced Woll is pushing Samsonov for more work?
“Oh, he’s pushing,” Keefe assured. “That’s it. That’s what you want. You want everybody pushing one another. That’s what we got.”
As for Samsonov’s recent showing, Keefe said bluntly: “You can’t let it in three goals on four shots.”
While it’s no secret that Maple Leafs brass want the homegrown, cap-friendly Woll to eventually seize the city’s net — pushing Samsonov into another one-year, prove-it deal via arbitration was a clue — they also have exercised patience with the prospect and don’t wish to hand him a job he hasn’t yet earned.
A fan of the NFL/HBO Hard Knocks program, Woll got a kick out of finally participating in his first full NHL training camp this fall. And while he was drafted seven(!) years ago, Woll doesn’t believe his moment to stick — to shine? — at the NHL for a full season is overdue.
“No, I think it’s perfectly on time. I don’t think I was ready to be at this point a year ago, two years ago. Every experience I’ve been afforded has made me ready,” Woll said.
“This year, it just feels like all the experiences I’ve had recently have prepared me for this. I feel ready.”
I’m not a goalie coach by any means, but the kid with the wanderlust and live-in-the-moment mindset looks ready, too.
