“Was in awe of how good of a level” – Nashville Predators prospect goalie Yaroslav Askarov set for AHL run
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Yaroslav Askarov
Young Russian ice hockey goalie Yaroslav Askarov recently got a sneak peek into his future at the end of last season. The Nashville Predators prospect was selected in the first round (No. 11) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
The Omsk native Askarov, who made the long trip from Moscow to North America, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Predators on May 16. The 20-year-old also spent almost a month practising with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), for whom he is likely to play in the 2022-23 edition.
“It’s a great thing I came to Milwaukee,” Askarov said through a translator at Predators development camp, as quoted by NHL.com. “I was in awe of how good of a level it is in the AHL. I was very grateful I came at the end of the season because I got to experience it a little bit.”
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“We’re really excited for Askarov”
The 18-year-old Askarov made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut at 17, becoming the second-youngest goaltender to start a game in the tournament. He appeared in six games for SKA St. Petersburg league last season, where he had a 1.81 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
“We’re really excited for him, but we kind of have to be patient with him because he didn’t play a whole lot last year,” Predators assistant general manager and director of player development Scott Nichol said.
“But I think it was fantastic that he [spent time with Milwaukee] at the end of the year. We got a chance to look at him, practice with him and see him on the ice. He got a chance to start learning the language. He’s got an infectious personality and is a super-nice kid. He’s going to be a really good player for us.”
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Sachin Arora
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