Patrick Williamstheahl.com writer
Yaroslav Askarov Can perform on the ice. He can also shine his personality and wit.
Askarov is now very familiar in English, which makes his natural sense of humor completely passable. The same is true of his views. The 22-year-old goalkeeper is one of the biggest personalities of the AHL and headlines for his ice celebrations, which is an impressive resume for AHL, including two AHL All-Star classic appearances (plus 2023 He was unable to play in the third place) and twice in the finals.
But this is not without its challenges. He lost his starting role in the 2023 playoffs during Milwaukee and was injured in the final last spring. That was before the deal last August, bringing him from the Nashville Predator to the San Jose Sharks.
“It was a great experience,” Askarov said of his playoffs in Milwaukee. “When you play against the best, you learn something. Just growing up at that time, it's not just about good things.”
Askarov will likely bring the final touch to his AHL career this season. The Predators have the 11th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Askarov consolidates himself as one of the highest goalkeepers in hockey. But after Nashville signed Juuse Saros Compliant with a long-term contract, the deal with San Jose will give Askarov a chance to be a future goalkeeper for the Sharks.
Acquisition of Askarov costs a lot of money, including the 2025 first-round draft pick and 2023 first-round draft pick David Edstrom. However, Askarov has another strong season in 2024-25, ranking fifth in percentage savings (.922), while also playing in the NHL. 13 times, including seven people in January.
“It was a great experience for me,” he said of the relocation in San Jose.
The Sharks will emerge from face-to-face breakthroughs in 4 NHL countries, a seven-game trip that begins on Sunday. Since the NHL's March 7 trading deadline is only two weeks, management has a lot of decisions. Alexandar Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek After this season, it’s no secret that the 32nd-ranked Sharks in the NHL overall are in a comprehensive reconstruction program. General manager Mike Grier Each of his first two campaigns has been actively engaged in late-season trading, with harder decisions regardless of what the organization does or doesn’t do in the next few weeks.
Either way, Askarov signed a two-year extension with the Sharks before 2026-27, and he may be working in a lot of NHLs. Or, he might be with the Barracudas as they work to solidify their playoffs. San Jose is currently ranked sixth in the AHL's Pacific division, but splits for the top champion in just eight points in part of the six teams. Two of these clubs are on weekend schedules, visiting Ontario on Saturday and Coachella Valley on Sunday.
Join Askarov in the network and league leading scorer Andrew Poturalski Offensively, the Barracudas will be a dangerous opponent for anyone entering the Calder Cup playoffs. Both seasons have been opposite to the Admiral Western Conference Finals in the past two seasons. Now, they have the potential to cause some damage this spring.
“We have experience,” Askarov said of his pike team. “It’s a great combination.”
Those past playoff experiences could have caused some damage to Askarov in the Calder Cup playoffs, this time, this time even more shocking.
“You have some bad games, but it can also be a very good experience. Try to stay positive. Life is still going on. You are just learning. You are just growing up.”
During the fifty years of the American Hockey League, Theahl.com writer Patrick Williams currently covers the NHL.com and Flosports leagues and is a regular contributor to Siriusxm NHL New Network Radio. He won the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding league coverage in 2016.
