Woodley was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was selected 7th overall in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the Canucks. He helped the Portland Winter Hawks to the 1986 Memorial Cup Finals and was considered a sure-fire NHL winger.[citation needed] He turned pro in 1987–88 and had a solid season, recording 66 points in 69 IHL games and scoring 2 goals in 5 games with the Canucks.\n', '

However, after general manager Jack Gordon was replaced by Pat Quinn, Woodley was sent to Milwaukee to start the 1988–89 season in the IHL. He was traded in a swap of first round picks, to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jose Charbonneau. He finished the year in Sherbrooke, Quebec on the first place Canadiens farm team with 18 goals. Following two more mediocre seasons for Montreal, he requested to be bought out in 1991. He then moved to the ECHL and played four more seasons before retiring in 1995.\n', '

Woodley\'s lack of success (5 games played 2 goals)was surprising, given his high place in the 1986 draft. No player who was drafted higher than Woodley in the 1980s played fewer than his 5 NHL games, and he was one of only three top-10 picks (Jason Herter and Dan Gratton being the others) to play fewer than 10 NHL games. In contrast, future Hockey Hall of Fame defender Brian Leetch, who would star against Vancouver in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, was selected just 2 picks later than Woodley by the New York Rangers.\n', '

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