GM Mike Grier announces Yaroslav Askarov's first call-up from the AHL's San Jose Barracuda to join the San Jose Sharks roster.
Mike Grier, the General Manager of San Jose Sharks, stated today that goaltender Yaroslav Askarov has been called up from the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL. This marks his initial call-up to the Sharks.
Askarov, at the age of 22, has played in nine games for the Barracuda this season, maintaining a Save Percentage of .939 and a Goals Against Average of 1.92.
Askarov was awarded AHL Goaltender of the Month for October for his performance, going 5-0-0 with a 1.20 GAA, .959 SV%, and two shutouts. He now ranks third in the AHL with a .939 SV%, is tied for fourth in the league with six wins, and sits at sixth in the circuit with a 1.92 GAA.
Askarov played his first NHL game for the Nashville Predators on Jan. 12, 2023, in Montreal and earned his initial NHL victory on Dec. 30, 2023, in Washington, making 29 saves on 31 shots in the game. Askarov has a record of one win, one loss, and zero ties, with a save percentage of .914 and a goals against average of 2.58 in his three NHL games.
The previous year, the goalie spent most of his time on the ice with the Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL team linked to the Nashville Predators. He played in 44 matches, with a record of 30 wins, 13 losses, and 1 tie, along with six shutouts, a 2.39 goals-against average, and a save percentage of .911.
His position in the league for shutouts at the end of the campaign was second. He tied the franchise record by winning 14 straight games between December 23, 2023 and February 22, 2024. During his successful run, Askarov achieved five shutouts and only conceded two goals or less in 10 out of 14 games.
Before making his debut in North America, Askarov played for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL for three seasons. During the 2019-20 season, he created a historical moment by making his KHL debut on Nov. 27, 2019 with the team, becoming the second youngest goalie to start a KHL game at 17 years old. In 16 KHL career matches, he achieved an 8-5-2 record with a 1.48 GAA and .937 SV% along with one shutout.
San Jose traded David Edstrom, Magnus Chrona, and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft (Top-10 protected; San Jose will choose between their own or Vegas’s selection) to Nashville for a six-foot-three, 178-pound player from Omsk, Russia, Nolan Burke, and a third-round pick from Colorado in the 2025 NHL Draft on Aug. 23, 2024. Forward Nico Sturm has also been placed on Injured Reserve as part of the same action.
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