G Yaroslav Askarov - SKA-Neva St.Petersburg, VHL (2020, 11th, NSH)

[Caser]

 

[Goulet17]

This kid is special. I am usually not very high on selecting goaltenders high in the first round, but Askarov might be my exception.

I thought he flat-out intimidated the US players in the shootout (Hughes, Turcotte, Caufield, Zegras, Boldy - all future first rounders likely in top-15 and Askarov shut them down). Dominant performance overall.

So young, 2020 draft eligible.

 

[Tweaky]

Very impressed. He won that game for Russia against the US.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

The only thing that likely could’ve stopped the USA from winning the tournament is Askarov having a performance like that. I thought he had some luck with the USA hitting 3-4 posts, but that’s how it goes some games and Askarov was great.

 

[Caser]

Made it to the Top10 MHL saves of the season.

 

[Caser]

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

@Caser, I remember you being hesitant to mention Askarov’s name in the same discussion as Vasilevskiy pre-draft.

I’m curious to know if you’ve changed your mind.

 

[scoutman1]

Askarov is probably the most talented goalie I have ever watched live at that age and I been doing this gig for 24 years...the only goalie who has come close to me watching live was either Roberto Luongo or Andrei Vasilevsky

 

[snipes]

Askarov is probably the most talented goalie I have ever watched live at that age and I been doing this gig for 24 years...the only goalie who has come close to me watching live was either Roberto Luongo or Andrei Vasilevsky

Every scout I talk to and every scouting report I read absolutely raves about this guy.

What stands out for you with him? In my limited viewings his angles and reaction time stand out. He always looks to be in the right place and cuts down shooting angles very well.

Admittedly, evaluating goaltenders is something I profess no expertise in.

Canada will be in tough against him and the Russians tomorrow.

 

[TysonBarrie]

Where is he going to play next season? SKA St.Petersburg already have their starters locked in. Magnus Hellberg is one of the best KHL goalies right now. He posted a .940 save % along with a 1.32 GAA.
Pyotr Kochetkov was a 2nd round pick this past draft and looks like he will be competing for the backup spot with Alexei Melnichuk for St.Petersburg.

 

[Zine]

Where is he going to play next season? SKA St.Petersburg already have their starters locked in. Magnus Hellberg is one of the best KHL goalies right now. He posted a .940 save % along with a 1.32 GAA.
Pyotr Kochetkov was a 2nd round pick this past draft and looks like he will be competing for the backup spot with Alexei Melnichuk for St.Petersburg.

Askarov will start in MHL, maybe move onto VHL. He's nowhere close to KHL level yet; neither was Vasilevsky at the same age.

 

[TysonBarrie]

Askarov will start in MHL, maybe move onto VHL. He's nowhere close to KHL level yet; neither was Vasilevsky at the same age.

VHL will be hard to crack. One of Alexei Melnichuk or Pytor Kochetkov will most likely start for the VHL team. Pavel Davydyuk who (just looking at his stats) is a decent goalie and will compete for the backup VHL spot.
If I'm drafting a goalie in the first round, I'd want him to play with men. Personal preference.

 

[Zine]

VHL will be hard to crack. One of Alexei Melnichuk or Pytor Kochetkov will most likely start for the VHL team. Pavel Davydyuk who (just looking at his stats) is a decent goalie and will compete for the backup VHL spot.
If I'm drafting a goalie in the first round, I'd want him to play with men. Personal preference.

Maybe, but Askarov will be 17 the entire year. I can't think of a goalie in recent memory to play against men at 17; at least not on any regular basis.
Goalies aren't position players who can be protected during a game. Imo, playing against men is probably too much for a goalie that young; no matter how good he is.

 

[VintageBure]

How many goalies do you see go in the first round anymore?

Not many but he's currently projected as a first rounder. Will probably be around the same spot as Spencer Knight depending on who's picking where.

 

[scallionjj11]

Not many but he's currently projected as a first rounder. Will probably be around the same spot as Spencer Knight depending on who's picking where.

Whos a good comparison for him at the NHL level?

 

[Atas2000]

Maybe, but Askarov will be 17 the entire year. I can't think of a goalie in recent memory to play against men at 17; at least not on any regular basis.
Goalies aren't position players who can be protected during a game. Imo, playing against men is probably too much for a goalie that young; no matter how good he is.

Oh, I can. There was that Tretiak kid, but I am old Recent memory has a different meaning with me.

The fun aside, obviously as a 17y.o. he'd have to be superhuman. Tretiak was.

 

[snipes]

Whos a good comparison for him at the NHL level?

Here’s a good article on him. Vasi comes up as a comparable unsurprisingly.

2020 NHL Draft Profile: Yaroslav Askarov – The Best Russian Goalie Prospect Ever?

 

[Atas2000]

Whos a good comparison for him at the NHL level?

Vasilevskiy probabaly because of the size and how he acts in the crease. There is a special about him I like a lot. He seems to be very mature and has that alpha charisma about him. He is always with the team, vocal, leading(yes, as a goalie, but that's the charisma I meant).

 

[VintageBure]

Whos a good comparison for him at the NHL level?

Not really an expert on goalies but he catches with his right hand. If he grows a couple more inches he would have the size and athleticism of goalies like Vasilevskiy and Rinne. There's also mention of his calm demeanor, when he's on his game he can completely take over. New age NHL goalie in terms of his size/skillset.

 

[greasysnapper]

It's crazy how many good goalies are going to be available in 2020. Might be the very best goalie crop ever.

 

[scallionjj11]

It's crazy how many good goalies are going to be available in 2020. Might be the very best goalie crop ever.

which other goalies are really that high rated?

 

[greasysnapper]

which other goalies are really that high rated?

The obvious one is Bednar. It's still very very early, but I already like him better than Sogaard at this point last year. I think he can close the gap on Askarov and we could potentially see two goalies gone in the 1st round.

There's a lot of other ones going to be available too. My second favourite goalie last year in the WHL after Sogaard, Roman Basran was passed over in 2019, and I think he's going to make teams sorry they didn't use a late pick on him. Especially as the starter for a solid Memorial cup host team-- he's going to get a lot of viewings and teams are going to fall in love with his quickness. It was a crime that Wolf got picked ahead of him. Basran has actual NHL potential. Was never a fan of Wolf.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Would be rare for him to become a high end goalie and keep it up for a while. Right handed catching goalies aren't very good for very long. You have to go back to the 90s to get Barrasso, Fuhr and Puppa. Puppa wasn't very good, but had size. Even Fuhr and Barrasso weren't really of the high-end quality. 80s Fuhr was, but come the 90s he dropped below Belfour, Roy, Hasek, Brodeur and then you could even argue Vernon, Richter, Beezer, Moog and maybe even Potvin had passed him.

Personally, I don't think he'll be that high-end goalie, but I'm really curious to see where he goes and how he does.

 

[TysonBarrie]

Maybe, but Askarov will be 17 the entire year. I can't think of a goalie in recent memory to play against men at 17; at least not on any regular basis.
Goalies aren't position players who can be protected during a game. Imo, playing against men is probably too much for a goalie that young; no matter how good he is.

Oh, didn't know he had a late birthday. But yeah, agree with your point about protecting goalies during games and limit their action during a game. It's just my personal preference to never pick a goalie in the first round, hardly any of them really turn out to be as big an impact as the forwards available in the first round.
Late 2nd-3rd round is the ideal spot to select a goalie in my opinion.

 

[TysonBarrie]

There's a lot of other ones going to be available too. My second favourite goalie last year in the WHL after Sogaard, .

Never really understood the hype about Sogaard. I mean, he's big so that's why he went so early in the draft but I don't think he has the speed to really be an impact at the NHL level against stars who're getting quicker and quicker. I mean, he wasn't even the sole starter for the Medicine Hat Tigers last season.
I know it's hard to judge the pay he played during the WJC because he is on a very weak team, but against young stars around the world he struggled because of their foot speed and the quickness of their shots.
I think he had a .616 GAA to pair with a .802 save %.

Goalies like Luca Hollenstein (Switzerland- 5GP 2.43 GAA .917 save %) , Demid Yeremeyev (Kazakhstan - 5GP 4.73GAA .897 save %) were much better than him despite both being shorter goalies (6'1 and 5'10) and on bad teams.