Maple Leafs’ Joseph Woll to join United States for 2026 IIHF World Championship

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll will join the United States for the 2026 IIHF World Championship. USA Hockey announced the preliminary roster on Thursday, where Woll is one of three goaltenders, along with Devin Cooley and Drew Commesso.

Woll was previously non-committal, when asked if he’d join the United States for the World Championship, telling reporters he’d like to focus on the Maple Leafs during end-of-year media day on April 16.

The 27-year-old posted a 15-6-7 record with a .899 save percentage in 39 appearances with the Maple Leafs last season. Toronto missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade, and Woll spoke candidly about his own performance on April 16.

“I think it was a bit of up and down, I felt like I had some stretches where I was feeling good about my game, and some stretches where things weren’t necessarily going my way. At the end of the day, I felt, if I look at the season as a whole, I feel like maybe I’ve had some stuff left on the table.”

“I know what I’m capable of, what I’ve shown here before, and I don’t think I properly lived up to what I’m capable of.”

Woll isn’t only the Maple Leafs player at the tournament. Morgan Rielly and John Tavares were named to Team Canada, where both players are expected to take on prominent roles.

It’s a good opportunity for Woll to return to top form against excellent competition. Ahead of the 2026-27 season, Woll enters as the Maple Leafs’ No. 1 goaltender, while Anthony Stolarz, Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov are all in the mix. Woll has been often lauded by opponents for his sense of calm and poise, and it’ll be compelling to see how he performs on the world stage. He’s no stranger to the USA Hockey program, as Woll won a gold medal during the 2017 World Juniors.