Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
Yaroslav Askarov can placed on a present on the ice. He also can flash his character and wit afterward.
Askarov is now fairly acquainted with English, which permits his pure humorousness to return by means of absolutely. His perspective, too. One of many AHL’s greatest personalities and a headline-maker for his on-ice celebrations, the 22-year-old goaltender has already constructed a formidable resume within the AHL, together with two AHL All-Star Basic appearances (plus a 3rd in 2023 that he was unable to attend) and two journeys to the convention finals.
However it additionally hasn’t been with out its challenges. With Milwaukee, he misplaced his beginning function throughout their 2023 playoff run, then suffered an damage within the division finals final spring. And that was earlier than final August’s commerce that despatched him from the Nashville Predators to the San Jose Sharks.
“It was an awesome expertise,” Askarov mentioned of his postseasons with Milwaukee. “Whenever you play in opposition to one of the best, you study one thing. Simply rising up at the moment, it’s not solely in regards to the good issues.”
Askarov could be placing the ending touches on his AHL profession this season. The eleventh general decide within the 2020 NHL Draft by the Predators, Askarov solidified himself as one in all hockey’s high goaltending prospects. However after Nashville signed Juuse Saros to a long-term contract, the commerce to San Jose would give Askarov a chance to turn out to be the Sharks’ goaltender of the longer term.
Buying Askarov price the Sharks a lot, together with a 2025 first-round decide and 2023 first-rounder David Edstrom. However Askarov is having one other robust season in 2024-25, rating fifth within the AHL in save proportion (.922) whereas additionally making 13 appearances within the NHL – together with seven in January alone.
“It’s been an awesome expertise for me,” he mentioned of the transfer to San Jose.
The Sharks will come out of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-off break with a seven-game street journey that begins Sunday. With the NHL’s March 7 commerce deadline simply two weeks away, administration has loads of selections to make. Alexandar Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek are eligible to turn out to be unrestricted free brokers after this season, and it’s no secret that the Sharks, thirty second general within the NHL, are in a full-fledged rebuilding venture. Common supervisor Mike Grier has already been lively with late-season trades in every of his first two campaigns, and harder selections are forward, it doesn’t matter what the group does or doesn’t do within the coming weeks.
Both means, Askarov, who signed a two-year extension with the Sharks by means of 2026-27, is likely to be in for lots of NHL work down the stretch. Or, he could possibly be with the Barracuda as they work to solidify their Calder Cup postseason standing. San Jose is at the moment sixth within the AHL’s Pacific Division, however a part of a six-team group separated by simply eight factors preventing for the highest spot. Two of these golf equipment are on the weekend schedule, with visits on faucet to Ontario on Saturday and Coachella Valley on Sunday.
With Askarov in web and league-leading scorer Andrew Poturalski heading up the offense, the Barracuda could be a harmful opponent for anybody going into the Calder Cup Playoffs. The 2 had been on reverse sides of Admirals-Firebirds Western Convention Finals every of the final two seasons. Now they’re along with the potential to do some injury this spring.
“Now we have expertise,” Askarov mentioned of his Barracuda workforce. “It’s a reasonably good combine.”
These previous postseason experiences could make Askarov that rather more formidable this time round ought to the Barracuda create some havoc within the Calder Cup Playoffs.
“You’ve gotten some dangerous video games, (however) that may be a extremely good expertise, too. Attempt to be optimistic. Life goes on. You’re simply studying. You’re simply rising up.”
On the American Hockey League beat for 20 years, TheAHL.com options author Patrick Williams additionally at the moment covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is an everyday contributor on SiriusXM NHL Community Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his excellent protection of the league in 2016.
