Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Yaroslav Askarov can put on a show on the ice. He can also flash his personality and wit afterward.
Askarov is now quite conversant in English, which allows his natural sense of humor to come through fully. His perspective, too. One of the AHL’s biggest personalities and a headline-maker for his on-ice celebrations, the 22-year-old goaltender has already built an impressive resume in the AHL, including two AHL All-Star Classic appearances (plus a third in 2023 that he was unable to attend) and two trips to the conference finals.
But it also hasn’t been without its challenges. With Milwaukee, he lost his starting role during their 2023 playoff run, then suffered an injury in the division finals last spring. And that was before last August’s trade that sent him from the Nashville Predators to the San Jose Sharks.
“It was a great experience,” Askarov said of his postseasons with Milwaukee. “When you play against the best, you learn something. Just growing up at that time, it’s not only about the good things.”
Askarov may well be putting the finishing touches on his AHL career this season. The 11th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Predators, Askarov solidified himself as one of hockey’s top goaltending prospects. But after Nashville signed Juuse Saros to a long-term contract, the trade to San Jose would give Askarov an opportunity to become the Sharks’ goaltender of the future.
Acquiring Askarov cost the Sharks plenty, including a 2025 first-round pick and 2023 first-rounder David Edstrom. But Askarov is having another strong season in 2024-25, ranking fifth in the AHL in save percentage (.922) while also making 13 appearances in the NHL – including seven in January alone.
“It’s been a great experience for me,” he said of the move to San Jose.
The Sharks will come out of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-off break with a seven-game road trip that starts Sunday. With the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline just two weeks away, management has plenty of decisions to make. Alexandar Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek are eligible to become unrestricted free agents after this season, and it’s no secret that the Sharks, 32nd overall in the NHL, are in a full-fledged rebuilding project. General manager Mike Grier has already been active with late-season trades in each of his first two campaigns, and more difficult decisions are ahead, no matter what the organization does or does not do in the coming weeks.
Either way, Askarov, who signed a two-year extension with the Sharks through 2026-27, might be in for a lot of NHL work down the stretch. Or, he could be with the Barracuda as they work to solidify their Calder Cup postseason standing. San Jose is currently sixth in the AHL’s Pacific Division, but part of a six-team group separated by just eight points fighting for the top spot. Two of those clubs are on the weekend schedule, with visits on tap to Ontario on Saturday and Coachella Valley on Sunday.
With Askarov in net and league-leading scorer Andrew Poturalski heading up the offense, the Barracuda would be a dangerous opponent for anyone going into the Calder Cup Playoffs. The two were on opposite sides of Admirals-Firebirds Western Conference Finals each of the last two seasons. Now they’re together with the potential to do some damage this spring.
“We have experience,” Askarov said of his Barracuda team. “It’s a pretty good mix.”
Those past postseason experiences can make Askarov that much more formidable this time around should the Barracuda create some havoc in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
“You have some bad games, (but) that can be a really good experience, too. Try to be positive. Life goes on. You’re just learning. You’re just growing up.”
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.