Maple Leafs assign Joseph Woll to AHL’s Marlies for conditioning stint

The move indicates that the 25-year-old netminder is close to returning to the lineup. Woll suffered a high ankle sprain in a Dec. 7 game against the Ottawa Senators, and has not appeared in the lineup since then.

The most recent update from the club was from head coach Sheldon Keefe, who on Feb. 5 said Woll was “not anywhere close” to returning to the lineup. At the time, Woll was skating on his own but not practicing with the team.

In 15 appearances with the Maple Leafs this season, Woll had an 8-5-1 record with a .916 SV% and 2.80 GAA. Drafted in the third round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by Toronto, Woll has a 24-17-7 record in 26 appearances with the club, including a career .919 SV% and 2.62 GAA.

Woll also appeared in four playoff games for the Maple Leafs last spring after Ilya Samsonov was injured, going 1-2 with a .915 SV%in three appearances and making two starts.