Joseph Woll praised by coach, teammates before his first NHL start for the Leafs on Saturday

Coming into the second half of a back-to-back scenario, Leafs prospect and 2016 3rd round pick Joseph Woll will get the first start of his NHL career on Saturday in Buffalo, when the Leafs take on the Sabres in what will be a massive opportunity for the 23-year-old in the absence of regular backup Petr Mrazek.

Mrazek, who suffered a setback after tweaking the same groin injury that he had suffered during his first start of the season, is likely to miss most of the month of November, and while the Leafs do have a 3rd-string goaltender with NHL experience in Michael Hutchinson, head coach Sheldon Keefe believes that it's time to see what the team has in Woll.

"I think the big thing, as an organization is that we really believe in him," Keefe said of Woll on Friday. "We believe in his talent. In an ideal world you would want him to get on a roll with the Marlies; As it turns out there's an opportunity here."

Keefe is not the only one with high praise for the young netminder, as Jack Campbell and Auston Matthews are also intrigued and encouraged by what they've seen from Woll in practice this year.

"He's a great kid. A tremendous talent, too," Campbell said. "I have a lot of fun watching him, I call him 'Quickie 2.0', not to give him too much pressure or anything but because he's really flexible. Makes a big time save, battles in practice."

Matthews highlights Woll's attitude and work ethic as the characteristics that really stand out to him. Obviously, when one of the league's premier goal scorers sees something in you, that's a huge vote of confidence.

"He's been great. He comes to the rink with a great attitude. He's always smiling. I've known him since the National Team days. He's a great kid, works hard, just loves the game and loves competing," said Matthews.

It seems only fitting that Woll's first start would come in Buffalo, as that's where he first pulled his Leafs jersey over his head on draft day 2, back in 2016.

It's been quite some time since the Leafs have drafted and been able to develop one of their own draft picks into a bonafide NHL goaltender, so if Woll can find any success with the team, albeit in a backup capacity this season, it would certainly be looked at as a win for the franchise - or at the very least, a step in the right direction.

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