Yaroslav Askarov

Yaroslav Vladimirovich Askarov (; born 16 June 2002) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for 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. 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, in a 3–2 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues. Four days later, on 25 November, 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 Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2018–19 SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova MHL 31 15 12 4 1,725 68 4 2.37 .921 4 1 2 166 10 0 3.61 .898 2019–20 SKA-Neva VHL 18 12 3 3 1,053 43 2 2.45 .920 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 .920 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 SKA-Neva VHL 6 2 3 1 367 13 0 2.12 .923 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 9 5 4 0 495 10 1 1.21 .951 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 SKA-1946 MHL 2 2 0 0 120 1 1 0.50 .979 7 3 4 431 17 0 2.37 .927 2021–22 SKA-Neva VHL 9 5 2 2 537 23 1 2.57 .899 3 2 1 179 6 0 2.01 .937 2021–22 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 6 2 1 2 298 9 0 1.81 .913 — — — — — — — — 2022–23 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 48 26 16 5 2,851 128 3 2.69 .911 12 6 6 756 34 0 2.70 .903 2022–23 Nashville Predators NHL 1 0 1 0 58 4 0 4.15 .866 — — — — — — — — 2023–24 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 44 30 13 1 2,557 102 6 2.39 .911 5 2 3 295 16 0 3.25 .882 2023–24 Nashville Predators NHL 2 1 0 0 82 2 0 1.47 .943 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 San Jose Barracuda AHL 22 11 9 1 1,250 51 4 2.45 .923 6 3 2 358 10 1 1.68 .935 2024–25 San Jose Sharks NHL 13 4 6 2 716 37 0 3.10 .896 — — — — — — — — 2025–26 San Jose Sharks NHL 47 21 20 4 2596 157 0 3.63 .884 — — — — — — — —KHL totals 16 8 5 2 853 21 1 1.48 .937 — — — — — — — —NHL totals 63 26 27 6 3453 200 0 3.47 .887 — — — — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2018 Russia HG18 5 4 1 0 299 11 1 2.21 .921 2018 Russia U17 5 5 0 0 300 7 2 1.40 .948 2019 Russia U18 6 2 3 0 364 14 1 2.31 .916 2019 Russia HG18 4 4 0 0 240 5 1 1.25 .960 2020 Russia WJC 5 2 1 0 221 10 0 2.71 .877 2021 Russia WJC 4th 6 3 3 0 360 15 0 2.50 .914Junior totals 31 20 8 0 1784 62 5 2.36 .922

Awards and honors Award Year Ref International World Junior A Challenge – All-Star Team 2018 World U18 Championship – Best Goaltender 2019 World U18 Championship – Media All-Star Team 2019