TORONTO — On the day the Toronto Maple Leafs opened camp, Joseph Woll was happy to relate the most unique thing he did over the summer, the one last hurrah before he flew back to Canada and got down to the business of goaltending for hockey most scrutinized team.
Woll, 27, flew down to Florida to hang with his younger brother, Michael, 22. The siblings set an alarm and devised a plan. They would wake up at 6:30 a.m., hit up all four of Disney World’s amusement parks in one wild day, then crash.
By 11:30 p.m., their mission had been accomplished. Best ride?
Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot, easy.
“It’s like Space Mountain and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster combined,” Woll said, beaming that September morning during a 10-minute sit-down with Sportsnet.ca. “It’s great.”
The nature of the roller-coaster Woll has been riding since, we’re guessing, has been anything but.
No one abruptly leaves their dream job unless there is a serious reason.
The Missouri native took a month-long leave of absence for personal reasons five days into camp. Upon returning to practice with the Leafs, he waited another two weeks before speaking publicly and likely one more before dressing in an NHL game.
Woll ended his silence Friday, but not the mystery.
“All I’m gonna say about my time away is that I’m disappointed to have missed time, and I’m very happy to be back. So, I’d really like all the focus to be on my job to do here,” Woll said, addressing reporters at the Leafs’ practice facility before taking questions.
Woll said he did not wish the reason for nor details of his absence to be a distraction for himself or the Leafs.
“All I ask is that you guys respect that,” he said, politely. “If, down the road, I’m interested and think it’d be beneficial to talk about, I’ll initiate that.”
Woll is as affable and easy-to-root-for as any athlete you’ll meet. There’s a kind introspectiveness that shines through, even in causal interactions.
He smiled easily Friday during his return to the spotlight. He handled the peppering of questions calmly. With class and caution.
Woll now heads down to the Marlies for a brief conditioning stint. His road start Saturday versus the Lehigh Valley Phantoms will mark his first time taking the crease in a pro game since the debacle of Game 7 versus the Florida Panthers.
“It was pretty good series, right? You get it to Game 7, and then really just takes a couple goals and the game got out of hand,” Woll said last month. “You can look back and think about a million different things, but when it comes to Game 7, it’s one hockey game. And only one team can win.
“It’s unfortunate, the way it ended.”
Abrupt ends and false starts have coloured Woll’s career.
He’ll tell you how disappointing it’s been to not dress for opening night of his two most important seasons as a Leaf but also how calm he was coming in for emergency relief of partner Anthony Stolarz last spring because he had already done the same for Ilya Samsonov in the previous playoffs.
Like most of us, Woll isn’t eager to dig into his past misfortune. He waited months before addressing the peculiar injury that ended his sparkling 2024 post-season (.964 save percentage) and led to his surprise unavailability for Game 7 in Boston. When the topic arose, he stressed that he’d rather turn focus on the now.
He chose not to watch the rest of the 2025 playoffs after the Leafs were booed out of Scotiabank Arena.
“It’s really weird when the season ends, right? Because you go from being so involved and being so busy and playing games and lots of stress,” Woll said. “Then it’s done like that.”
Woll snapped his fingers as he finished his sentence.
Through most of the agile goaltender’s developing years, Woll poured all his efforts into technique and conditioning. He neglected the mental side of the game until the world locked up and shut down in the spring of 2020.
The prospect’s sparkling .919 NCAA save percentage with Boston College in 2018-19 plummeted to .880 with the Marlies in 2019-20. He went 11-16-3 his first year as a pro.
“I didn’t have results like I wanted, and I just was going through some different things, mentally and stuff,” Woll explained in 2023.
The Maple Leafs introduced their prized prospect to sports psychologists. Woll dove headfirst into meditation. He realized investing in a clear mind was equally vital as taking time to stretch, lift, and track pucks.
Woll now meditates multiple times daily, even through the off-season, for reasons hockey and otherwise.
“I have, like, a very thoughtful mind. My mind is always busy. A creative mind. And, yeah, it’s awesome. I love my mind. But at the same time, I need to be able to calm it down sometimes. Especially when I’m playing,” he once said.
“If you’re thinking, you’re not playing.”
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Woll can’t shut off the thinking after games. Plenty of NHLers can’t. Now, he doesn’t bother rushing.
He journals a few thoughts on the game. He watches video and reflects. A magnesium bath can soothe the muscles and ease the adrenaline. “Sometimes we get restless legs. Just the worst when you’re trying to fall asleep,” he said.
Woll tries to stick to that same routine, win or lose. Seeks to pull a lesson and move forward.
“I don’t get home and try to go right to bed,” Woll said. “I try to do some different things to wind down, and some nights are harder than others. Depending on circumstances, it’s not the easiest thing.”
Days after Woll took his leave, former NHL goalie Steve Valiquette made an insightful appearance on Real Kyper & Bourne (worth a listen).
Henrik Lundqvist’s former backup recalled the handsome Hall of Famer — the portrait of perfection to outsiders — grinding his teeth to the point of migraines, the stress of big-market goaltending got so intense.
“It was more introspective for him,” Valiquette said. “He was always putting so much pressure on himself to perform. It would affect his sleep.”
When Valiquette first retired, in 2012, OHL goalies would reach to him for help. Some moved in for support.
“I had goalies telling me about erectile dysfunction, crapping blood, all kinds of stressful stuff,” Valiquette said. “I don’t know if I’d even want my son being a goalie.”
We relay these anecdotes not because we have any clue of the mental roller-coaster Woll has been dealing with privately. We don’t.
We relay them because it’s important to remember that everyone — multimillionaire athletes included — is dealing with something.
Often, we keep it a guess.
The Maple Leafs afforded Woll the time and support he needed away from the rink.
Now, he’s returning to pick up the team, particularly the busy Stolarz.
“To have him back is not just huge for the team, but me as well,” Stolarz said.
Woll said he appreciates the extra load Stolarz has shouldered in his absence, carrying the Leafs to an 8-5-1 record.
“It’s not an easy thing to do. Not an easy thing at all,” Woll said. “He’s been awesome. He’s handling it great. He’s in the same mindset he’s always in, so it’s great.”
Greater is the sight of Woll smiling again, assuring he’s feeling good.
“Just very excited to get playing,” Woll said.
One-Timers: With Cayden Primeau (.838) placed on waivers Friday, expect Dennis Hildeby to be recalled this weekend…. The Maple Leafs rank 31st in power-play opportunities per game (2.43). Coach Craig Berube believes that’s a contributing factor in their ineffective power-play. What can the Leafs do to draw more whistles? “I don’t know,” Berube said. “You have to ask the league.”… Stolarz is looking forward to his 12th start Saturday versus Boston (Sportsnet, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT): “I think I had a shutout against them last year.” He did, indeed, and is 2-0-1 against the Bruins since joining the Leafs . Simon Benoit, who missed Wednesday’s win due to illness, is back in action … Sammy Blais and Calle Järnkrok project to be healthy scratches again.
Maple Leafs’ projected lineup Saturday versus Boston Bruins:
Knies – Matthews – Nylander
Robertson – Tavares – McMann
Joshua – Roy – Maccelli
Lorentz – Laughton – Domi
