Predators Goaltending Future Bright in Prospect Yaroslav Askarov

The first Nashville Predators fans to get a glimpse of the team's goaltending future happened to be a gaggle of pre-teens attending a summer hockey workout at Centennial Sportsplex.
Yaroslav Askarov didn't disappoint and that was before he actually set foot on the ice.
The 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft, the highest drafted goalie since Carey Price went fifth overall in the post lockout draft in 2005, quick-stepped from the Predators' locker room at their practice facility and seeing the kids grouped on the metal stands next to the ice, rushed to them high-fiving them with his right-hand catching mitt. And then he was off to the ice for his first official appearance on Predator ice.
There are many reasons why the Predators' 2022 development camp, completed late last week, was one of the most anticipated in years.
COVID and the restrictions it imposed on all facets of life let alone the game of hockey have a lot to do with that sense of anticipation. A return to normalcy and seeing the team's top prospects on the ice, some just days after having selected them in the draft, is always a big deal but the excitement at this camp seemed to have risen exponentially.
And there is no doubt that Askarov represents a special kind of attraction to Nashville fans given the commitment to him and what his potential represents.

This is no slight to current number one netminder Juuse Saros who is coming off a superlative season that saw him earn his first-ever Vezina Trophy nomination. Saros lost out to New York Rangers star netminder Igor Shesterkin and maybe that's why there's an unusual buzz surrounding Askarov and has so many in the hockey world in Nashville and beyond wondering how this will turn out.
The NHL is currently awash in elite Russian netminders. Shesterkin faced Andrei Vasilevskiy, arguably the finest goalie in the world, in the Eastern Conference Final as Vasilevskiy and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning advanced to a third straight Final defeating the Rangers in six games.
Shesterkin's former teammate, Alexandar Georgiev, recently signed with new Cup champion Colorado and is expected to vie for a starting role there in the fall.
Pyotr Kochetkov was an instant star in the American Hockey League last year with Carolina's affiliate in Chicago as the Wolves won a Calder Cup as AHL champs behind Kochetkov and he, too, got a taste of life in the NHL near the end of the regular season and in the playoffs.
There's Ilya Sorokin with the Islanders along with more established Russian netminders like two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky.
Once the position belonged to the French Canadians and then the Finns and now it belongs to the Russians. The ebb and flow of the hockey world.
So, where does Askarov fit into this pantheon of elite talent?
That's part of the excitement of seeing him step into a Predators jersey and onto Predators ice for the first time with players who will be his teammates moving forward.
The moment also offered a window onto the world of how goaltenders are developed and the special place they hold within an NHL team's organizational machinery.
At 11th overall no goalie has been taken higher in the draft since future Hall of Famer Price went fifth in 2005 (Jonathan Bernier was also selected at 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2006 and four years later the Kings also took goalie Jack Campbell at 11th in 2010 neither of whom ended up as a starter in L.A.).
Between the Price draft after the 2004-05 lockout and the Askarov draft two years ago only 14 goalies were taken in the first round in part because goalies tend to develop later and teams are loath to swing and miss on a goalie high in the draft.
Couple the significant investment in draft capital with the fact that contact with the team since Askarov's selection has been challenging limited for the most part to video calls and emails and feedback from game films and off-season workout programs thanks to COVID and other travel issues and you get a kind of Christmas morning effect with Askarov's attendance at last week's camp.
In fact there was a ripple of concern earlier this summer as Askarov, who came over to join Milwaukee late in the season but did not play, returned to Russia, came back to North America and then went back to Russia shortly before the start of development camp to make sure his wife could join him. He was, in fact, skating at the same rink where Philadelphia goaltending prospect Ivan Fedotov was arrested after questions arose for officials there regarding Fedotov's military service.
So, yes, there were some nerves on both the organization's part and the part of the player himself.
Through teammate Egor Afanasyev who acted as interpreter throughout camp, Askarov acknowledged both nervousness about the process and relief that he was in North America where he will stay moving forward.
"He says I'm very nervous but thank God it was pretty smooth," Afanasyev reported.
Now on terra firma in North America the clock is ticking on what exactly Askarov is bringing to the table for a Predators team that has been the model NHL franchise in drafting and developing its own goaltending. From Pekka Rinne, taken 258th overall in 2004 (the eighth round no longer exists in the draft for those keeping score at home) to Saros who was the 99th overall pick in 2013, the lineage has been exemplary and has been a key part of the team's identity.
But the process, so critical to long-term success, remains a perpetual one and so the pressure to find and develop goaltending talent like Askarov is significant whether he ultimately becomes the starter in Nashville or becomes an asset with which to make the team better in other ways.
Added to the sense of mystery surrounding Askarov is the fact that the last couple of years playing in Russia and internationally have been a struggle as he has not played as much as he needed or wanted to play.
Askarov declined to talk about last season.

"He doesn't really want to talk about last season," Afanasyev told reporters. "He says he just doesn't want to talk about it. He's flipped the page and he's very focused and excited for the next season."
Chris Peters of FloHockey is one of the top prospect analysts in the game. He believes there is a big up-side to Askarov although his development has been slowed over the last year or so.

"He's a very unique goaltending prospect in a lot of ways. He's a right catch, he's so good down low and super smart, but there's also a little wildness to him, which can sometimes be good and sometimes bad. The thing that Nashville has to do now is just get him back on track," Peters said.

"Despite the concerns, I think the tools he has still give him a chance to be an elite goalie. He needs a lot of ice time, live game action and a bit more patience," Peters added. "Goalies can take a while to develop and there is zero sense in rushing him. Give him a lot of ice in Milwaukee, keep close tabs on him, get him a lot of face time with your goalie coach and let him flourish. I still think he's going to have a chance to live up to his draft status and become a top-tier goalie. We've seen him be great before and I'm sure he can be again."
The process to ensure that all of this unfolds the way it's supposed to begins in the tiny coaches' room at the Predators practice facility where Goaltending Development Coach Dave Rook and the Predators' goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok are set to address the four goaltenders invited to development camp; Askarov, Ethan Haider the 148th overall pick in 2019 who is attending Clarkson University, Olivier Ciarlo a free agent out of Baie-Comeau of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and undrafted Braden Holt of Everett of the Western Hockey League.
In the past when the goaltending staff met with goaltenders at development camp there was an emphasis on the technical side of things. Angles and edges. Rebound control. Post work. But those are elements that are so comprehensively covered by individual goaltending coaches and team goaltending coaches that Vanderklok and Rook go a different direction.
On this day early in development camp the coaches who have been working together in the Predators organization for nine years and share a unified vision on how the goaltending group should operate will be providing some tough love on the process of becoming a pro.
"Just because you're drafted you don't have four years. Just because you're drafted (in the first round) means you have a runway," Rook told the netminders. "At the end of the day if you're not chomping at the bit or forcing our hand by the end of your entry-level contract chances are somebody's bumping you out. Because at the end of the day we have to make a decision. We have to make a decision on you, whether we sign you or not. So your runway isn't as long as what you think it is."
The room is quiet as the goaltenders digest the information.
"I'm not here to be the grim reaper," Rook added. "Again, we've exhausted the technical aspect. I just want to be up front with you. We'll go to bat for you, but at the end of the day it's on your shoulders."
What does that mean exactly?
It means that all four of these goalies here have talent. Just as all the goalies at all the other development camps have talent.
"But talent isn't skill," Rook said. "What are you doing differently to maximize that talent to give yourself the best opportunity? Ultimately that's your goal. Be the number one goalie in Nashville. So what are you doing?"
It's a great question.
And the answers are both complex and simple.
If you want to be an NHL goaltender this has to be your job. It has to be what consumes you and what you plan for both on and off the ice on a daily basis.
It means working on the flaws in your game and not just repeating the things you're good at.
It means reading game notes and pre-scout reports to be as prepared as possible for opponents.
Rook asked how many of the goalies know the officials who call their games.
"Get to know the officials. Talk to the officials. Little things. That quick whistle might come back to help you," Rook said. "It all comes back to the difference between a hobby and a profession."
Everyone is getting paid to play the game at this level.
"In junior hockey, guys don't know how to create traffic in front of the net or are scared to," Rook said. "Now at the pro level there are guys whose livelihoods depend on it.
"So you have to be able to handle traffic management," Rook said. "You have to be able to handle different things like that."
In junior there's a big drop-off in talent between the top line and the rest of the roster. At the AHL and NHL level the top six, the top nine, on any team are able to score.
"So you don't get a shift off. You have to be focused and prepared the whole time," Rook said.
All the goaltenders in the room, including Askarov whose playing time was limited last season, have faced adversity.
"It might not be your fault why you're not playing but it's 100 percent your responsibility to do everything that you possibly can to crack that opportunity," Rook said.
In short, no excuses.
"I've never worked with any head coach that's ever said 'man he's so good we're not going to play him,'" Vanderklok offered. "You're playing well, you'll play. We won't even have to go to bat for you."
"At the end of the day you're playing lights out, you're going to play. So you've got to look at yourself in the mirror," Vanderklok added. "That's part of being a pro too. Be honest with yourself."
Is there a completely level playing field with the prospects in this room or the goalies in the organization?
There might be a little bit more leeway for a high pick but the proof will always be on the ice and in the preparation.
"If you're not getting the job done we'll move on. First-round pick, fifth-round pick, invites, it doesn't matter," Rook said.
And so in some ways the gauntlet has been laid down for everyone in the room, especially Askarov who has higher expectations and some ground to make up. Which makes his appearance in Nashville all the more critical.
There's nothing like the real thing, being in front of someone and watching them work out and take direction during a drill. And more importantly there's nothing quite like being in the same room with someone and watching how they react to you or to teammates or coaches or managers.
It's clear right from the get-go that Askarov possesses a personality if not the language skills yet to deliver that personality fully.
After translating for the media, Afanasyev helped during a nutrition talk with team nutritionist Mari-Etta Parrish who happened to notice Askarov stuffing a bunch of water bottles into his goaltending bag after the Predator prospects' first on-ice workouts.
She wondered what Askarov's plans were for the water.
Askarov covered his eyes in mock horror at the question and then told Afanasyev that he really didn't have a good answer other than, well, he didn't really have a good answer.
There were lots of laughs and it was all in good fun as Parrish agreed that goalies need to make sure they're properly hydrated especially in a Nashville summer.
It appears that Askarov understands English at a higher level than he can speak it. He was impressive during the two early-morning track sessions during development camp prompting one of the coaches to remark that he was the fastest goalie he'd ever seen prompting a big grin from Askarov.
Still, the language is just another box to be checked as Askarov and his NHL team become fully acquainted. Vanderklok acknowledged it was the first time he stepped onto the ice for a workout with a phone. That's because all the coaches have an app that allows them to speak instructions into the phone and have them instantly translated to Russian which Askarov can listen to and not miss a beat.
"You've got an app that we all have downloaded and you talk into it and it spits it out in Russian. We try it in English first but when it gets to a point where it's confusing we can revert back to that," Vanderklok said. "He's done a good job of taking English lessons on his own. His personality we're pretty confident he'll pick it up quickly because he is somebody who wants to talk and wants to communicate. He wants to have feedback, back and forth and he wants to be a teammate who's involved with his players."
Afanasyev played both with and against Askarov in Russia and understands the dynamics of coming to North America for the first time. Afanasyev did so at age 15 playing junior hockey in Windsor. At the time Afanasyev's mother accompanied him to help the transition. Askarov now has his wife with him which will be important in terms of a support network.
But it's also important to be able to make connections with teammates, and not just Russian ones, so he can let his gregarious personality shine through.
"Absolutely, he's very genuine," Afanasyev said. "He means well, which means a lot for me too. He takes the time to talk to fans and stuff. Very funny obviously he's cracking jokes. Sometimes it's just like his English obviously is not there yet but he's working on it."
"That's why I tell him, let's sit at different tables," Afanasyev added. "Yesterday we had dinner and I said let's sit at different tables so you can talk to other guys. Because I know back when I was 15 I didn't have any Russians and then I think that's why I learned English so quickly because I had to. I don't want to have him struggle and not learn English."
For Afanasyev it's not just helping a fellow countryman but a teammate with whom he hopes much can be achieved.
"It's exciting, especially I see the future with him obviously," Afanasyev said. "I want to be in Nashville. He wants to be in Nashville. We want to be a huge part of Nashville winning Stanley Cups in the long-term and all that good stuff. So obviously it's nice having your countryman alongside hopefully in that beautiful journey."