Here's a snippet of what Wheeler had to say on Askarov:
"Some goalies are quick. Some goalies are powerful. Some rely on positioning so that they don't have to be either of those things. But Askarov is both quick and powerful and that gives him an upside, as he continues to polish some of the rest, that is higher than his peers. He's never out of the play. At this point in his development, with that kind of talent, I have to bet on him…"
And on Ingram:
"At this point, Ingram's talent and results stand on their own… I think he was the best goalie in the AHL last season, with all due respect to Kaapo Kahkonen. Ingram has been stellar for years, the numbers support his case and his game is built on a strong foundation of well-rounded tools."
Askarov was the No. 1-ranked international goaltender by NHL Central Scouting and is the sixth Russian-born goaltender to be selected in the first round in League history. The 18-year-old Russian is currently playing for SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL and is considered to be one of the top goaltending prospects in the last decade or more.
"Iaroslav is an elite, elite prospect," Predators Assistant GM/Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty said. "The talent level and the athleticism stands out right away. We compare his athleticism to that of Pekka Rinne or (Los Angeles Kings goalie) Jonathan Quick, and he's mature beyond his years in terms of his compete level and mental make-up. Even at such a young age, he's proven himself in a men's league by playing in the KHL over in Russia. We believe he was the best player available, and if you have a franchise goaltender on your hands, which we do believe he will be, you're in a very good situation."
Ingram, who was acquired via trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning during the summer of 2019, had a stellar season with Milwaukee. The 23-year-old appeared in 33 games and recorded a 21-5-5 record. He's ranked among the AHL's goaltending leaders in multiple categories last season, including third in both save percentage (.933) and goals-against average (1.92) and tied for third in wins (21) - all career bests.
Nashville signed Ingram to a three-year contract back in March worth $700,000 at the NHL level and $120,000 at the AHL level in 2020-21, $750,000 at the NHL level and $125,000 at the AHL level in 2021-22, and $750,000 in 2022-23.
