Maple Leafs Finally Strike Gold With Homegrown Talent After Years of Roster Uncertainty
Through nearly 20 years of gambling on picks and nothing much coming to fruition, the Maple Leafs have finally found their ace in the hole between the pipes.
It's been a long time coming for Maple Leafs fans. Enduring two decades of disappointment is never something to enjoy, and though the talent that's come in has been elite and some of the best the world has ever seen, it hasn't led to much success.
Their biggest glaring weakness was goaltending. Besides James Reimer, who was part of some pretty good and pretty bad teams, their only other top prospect to do anything was Tuukka Rask and well...we all know how that turned out.
To say they've struggled could be the understatement of the century, and while the goaltending they've gotten has been great at points, it's never from their own picks and always a veteran or someone who has a bit of credential to their name.
So three weeks into January in 2025, one of the strongest parts of the team is their goaltending, and though Anthony Stolarz has been stellar, it's Joseph Woll who has emerged as the best goaltender Toronto's ever drafted.
Toronto's Miserable Draft History
If you were to take a look at some of the names who the Maple Leafs drafted as goaltenders over the past two decades, a few names stick out but not in the best way.
It started in 2004 with Justin Pogge, who had so much hype around him and was the standout performer in the 2006 World Junior Championship and led Toronto to pick him as their goaltender of the future. Seven career NHL starts, a career in Europe and now a goaltending coach; it's safe to say things never turned out.
2005? Tuukka Rask, a Hall of Fame goaltender for Boston who was trade for Andrew Raycroft; the first domino that fell in Toronto's incessant need to acquire players instead of develop.
2006 brought James Reimer, and though the long-time veteran has created a very good career for himself and is a reliable depth option, but never saw the success in Toronto fans had hoped for.
The list afterward? Grant Rollheiser, Garret Sparks, Antoine Bibeau. 2017 onward brought us Ian Scott, and Zachary Bouthillier. Combined they have 44 career NHL games with Sparks responsible for 40 of them.
It was 2016 when the Maple Leafs finally made their greatest ever pick, and since then they've added some very bright prospects.
Joseph Woll Gives Hope To Maple Leafs Future Goaltending Plans
You would think that Woll was the product of Kyle Dubas' savvy draft strategy but it was actually the iron fisted and polarizing Lou Lamoriello who selected Woll with Toronto's 62nd pick in the 2016 Draft.
He got a lot of flak for his time in Toronto however he drafted Auston Matthews so that in itself should be commended, but his sneak selection of Woll has paid great dividends.
Through sporadic appearances in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Woll went 9-2-0 and looked like the goalie of the future, but it was his breakout performance last season against Boston that sealed the deal.
Toronto needed a savior in net, and Woll was tasked to keep them in the series. He not only helped them get to a Game 7, but had he not been injured in the literal last second of Game 6, could have helped Toronto win the round.
This season though, it's a whole different level. Showing unbelievable poise along with an ever improving skillset, Woll has been the homegrown product Toronto has never really had.
A 17-8-0 record, 2.69 GAA and .907 SV% is pretty darn good especially for someone who has dealt with not only injuries, but immense pressure to keep the team strong in the face of adversity.
There's also Dennis Hildeby, Artur Ahktyamov, and Vyacheslav Peksa in their system, and the contingent of strong, big-bodied and athletic netminders is stronger than ever, and already have the potential to make an impact.
If Woll can do it, so can they; and that's something Toronto hasn't had for a very, very long time, but boy does it feel good.
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