Joseph Woll Pro-Read 2
With Joseph Woll
Reading Rush with partial breakaway options and "secret hatch" from long toe ties
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When Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll joined the InGoal Radio Podcast to talk about his evolution to a successful NHL debut this season, he talked a lot about reading the game.
So, it made sense to have Woll, who went 3-1-0 with one shutout and a .911 save percentage in four games with the Maple Leafs, to make his Pro Reads debut right away and the rookie delivered with an insightful breakdown of a 3-on-1 chance against the Winnipeg Jets.
What didn’t make sense is waiting this long for Woll, who hasn’t played since sustaining a shoulder injury with the AHL Toronto Marlies in mid-March, to add his second entry.
THE SCENARIO
This time Woll is facing the San Jose Sharks in a game that ended with him stopping 34 of 35 shots, including the result of this regroup attack that starts just outside the Toronto blue line and quickly becomes a 2-on-1. The question is whether it will finish as a 2-on-1, so looking at the Sharks forwards as they enter the zone below, what clues are you looking for?
Was there anything above that provided a hint about what was coming below?
Now that we’ve seen that this 2-on-1 becomes a breakaway from the hash marks, what other information matters in terms of how you’d handle this situation as a goalie?
What do you make of Woll’s positioning at this point?
THE SAVE
Since it’s a rush chance, judging Woll’s positioning from a freeze frame isn’t enough to tell us whether he’s managed to get any backwards flow, which is usually tougher when it’s not a pure breakaway from outside the blue line, or whether it’s needed based on the speed of the attack, so watch the entire sequence below before we turn things over to him for a breakdown:
Does seeing it at full speed change anything about the way you would have played this? Was the clue that this was likely to become a breakaway more evident at full speed?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s check in with Woll for his explanation, as well as a fun little note about how his extra-long toe ties can become a puck-swallowing “secret hatch” on some low shots:
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- Woll breaks down his save on a 2-on-1 rush vs the San Jose Sharks that becomes a breakaway from the hash marks in a game he stopped 34 of 35 shots.
- Woll explains what visual cues he tracks as a regroup attack crosses the blue line to determine whether a 2-on-1 will stay two-man or collapse into a breakaway.
- Woll details how his extra-long toe affects his positioning and movement on rush chances, offering a specific equipment-related technique insight.
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