Joseph Woll is one step closer to his NHL season debut.
The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender played his first full game of the season with the AHL's Toronto Marlies on Wednesday, stopping 25 of 28 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
The 27-year-old allowed goals in each of the first and second periods, but turned away all 11 Griffins shots in the third to help force overtime.
Now, Woll's next save could come for the Maple Leafs — especially in light of starter Anthony Stolarz exiting Tuesday's game with an upper-body injury.
Woll left the team during training camp on a personal absence before returning in late October.
He has not disclosed the reason for his leave.
Woll had previously appeared in one game for the Marlies, stopping 21 of 24 shots against over 36 minutes of action on Saturday.
In a career-high 42 games with the Maple Leafs last season, Woll posted a .909 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average. Over seven playoff appearances, however, those numbers dipped to .886 and 3.56.
Toronto is in desperate need of help between the pipes. Stolarz has carried a heavy load during Woll's absence, starting 13 of the Leafs' 16 games but struggling with a 6-5-1 record with a 3.51 GAA and an .884 save percentage.
