Joseph Woll Pro-Read 5
With Joseph Woll
Managing moving screens and backside tip options
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With Joseph Woll coming off an impressive 29-save win for the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of a historic rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday — and on Hockey Night in Canada, no less — we remembered we had one more Pro Reads with Woll in our video archives.
While this video breakdown originally recorded last season, and we hope to do more with Woll as part of his bright future, he made such an impression in his first four Pro Reads sessions we don’t want to waste any of his insights, and now seems a perfect time to share this one.
THE SCENARIO
Much like Woll’s previous Pro Reads, this one also focuses on managing traffic, but this time he’s dealing with a moving screen from 6-foot-2 Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois:
What do you make of Woll’s positioning and choice of sightlines at this point?
A lot has changed by the time the puck is on its way to the net in the second freeze frame, but the question doesn’t: What do you make of Woll’s choice of sightline now?
Are you surprised to see him switch sides?
What about his depth decision?
THE SAVE
Clearly, the Dubois screen is moving, so take a look at the entire sequence in real time:
Watching the entire thing in real time, we can see how that moving screen drags Woll right to the edge of his net coverage as Burns winds up. Would you have changed your sight lines? What factors would go into that decision? Is Burns being a right shot one of them?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s check in with Woll for his breakdown and screen management tips:
Watch Joseph Woll break down the full video for you
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- Woll breaks down his save against a cutting Pierre-Luc Dubois screen, where managing a 6-foot-2 forward moving across the slot forced him to make a real-time sightline adjustment.
- Woll's preferred technique against traffic is to hold one sightline, stay tall, and look over the screen — but a laterally moving screen changes that calculation and may require switching sides.
- Woll identifies the shooter's handedness (Burns as a right shot) as one of the factors that can influence depth and sightline decisions when a screen is dragging you toward the post.
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