Olympics on the horizon for Leafs prospect Woll?

Toronto Maple Leafs draft choice Joseph Woll will lead team USA onto the ice today in Buffalo, NY as he attempts to deliver back-to-back medal showings for his country at the World Junior Championships. The 19-year-old former 2nd round pick (62nd overall) of the Leafs in 2016 has been stellar between the pipes at this year’s tournament. Woll and fellow USA netminder Jake Oettinger have been 1A and 1B the entire tournament, with both goaltenders looking good during their performances. The consensus is that Woll will get the start today against Sweden, however. He’ll need to be at his best today in the tournament semi-final if USA stands a chance at getting past tournament favourite Sweden. The winner will go on to play for gold against either Canada or the Czech Republic.

A strong showing today and potentially in the gold medal game could also go a long way in determining where Woll is playing hockey next month. When USA Hockey released their Olympic roster at the 2018 Winter Classic this past weekend, they notably neglected to include two backup goaltenders. Could Woll fill one of those positions? USA Hockey hasn’t shied away from using NCAA players at this year’s Olympics, electing to go with Denver’s Troy Terry, Boston University’s Jordan Greenway, St. Cloud State’s Will Borgen and Harvard’s Ryan Donato. Could Woll join his college compatriots?

“That’s something that’s kind of in the back of your head and obviously when you get a chance to represent your country, at the Olympics, it’s one of the greatest honours you can have in any sport,” Woll said on Wednesday. “That’s something I’m trying not to focus on too much. I’m focusing on the World Juniors right now and I want to get a gold medal here. We’ll leave that for the next couple months.”

There’s no denying Woll’s international pedigree, even at such a young age. In addition to this year’s World Juniors, Woll was also a part of last year’s gold medal winning team at the tournament and he also helped USA win bronze at the 2016 U-18 World Championships. Could another major… THE major… international tournament be on the horizon for the youngster? Time will tell.