Yaroslav Askarov

Yaroslav Vladimirovich Askarov (; born 16 June 2002) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 11th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL entry draft, where he was considered as the top ranked goaltender.

Playing career

Askarov played as a youth with Buldogi St. Petersburg at the under-16 level in 2017 before joining powerhouse club, SKA Saint Petersburg, to continue his development.

During the 2019–20 season, on 27 November 2019, Askarov made his KHL debut at the age of 17. He collected his first win in that game, allowing two goals in a victory over HC Sochi.

Following completion of the 2021–22 season with SKA, Askarov continued his season in North America by agreeing to a try-out contract for the playoffs with the Predators AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, on 3 May 2022. While with the Admirals, Askarov was signed by the Predators to a three-year, entry-level contract on 17 May 2022.

During the 2022–23 NHL season, on 11 January 2023, Askarov was recalled by the Predators and made his NHL debut on 12 January in a 4–3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Askarov was originally anticipated as the eventual successor to Predators starting goaltender Juuse Saros. However, the Predators signed Saros to an eight-year contract extension in the summer of 2024, and also signed free agent Scott Wedgewood to a two-year contract to serve as Saros' backup. Askarov, seeking a greater role in the NHL but playing behind two veteran goaltenders signed long-term, requested a trade from the Predators organization in light of the signings. On 23 August 2024, Askarov was traded to the San Jose Sharks along with a third-round pick and prospect Nolan Burke in exchange for prospects Magnus Chrona and David Edstrom, along with a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft which originally belonged to the Vegas Golden Knights. A day later, he signed a two-year contract with the Sharks, starting in the 2025–26 season.

Askarov made his first start as a member of the San Jose Sharks on 21 November 2024 in a 3–2 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues. 4 days later, on 25 November 2024, Askarov recorded his first win as a Shark in a 7–2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. He also recorded his first NHL point in this game, assisting on a Nico Sturm goal.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Askarov, Yaroslav
2002 births
Living people
Ice hockey people from Omsk
Milwaukee Admirals players
Nashville Predators draft picks
Nashville Predators players
NHL first-round draft picks
Russian ice hockey goaltenders
San Jose Barracuda players
San Jose Sharks players
SKA-1946 players
SKA-Neva players
SKA Saint Petersburg players
21st-century Russian sportsmen