Legs Like Vasilevskiy
- Yaroslav Askarov was selected 11th overall by Nashville in 2020, surpassing Vasilevskiy (19th, 2012) as the highest-drafted Russian-born goaltender in NHL Draft history.
- Nikolai Khabibulin compares Askarov's leg movement and explosiveness to Andrei Vasilevskiy, calling his movements from his knees already elite at any level.
- Askarov tied Jonathan Bernier and Jack Campbell as the highest-drafted goaltenders since Carey Price went 5th overall to Montreal in 2005.
- Khabibulin rates Askarov's puck-handling as the best of any goalie in the KHL, noting he plays without fear with the puck.
- At 6-foot-3 with elite flexibility and explosiveness, Askarov profiles as a rare combination of size and athleticism for a goaltending prospect.
Nikolai Khabibulin isn’t fond of comparisons but being forced to find one for Russian goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov produced an impressive response.
“I never really try to compare but he’s got legs like Vasilevskiy,” Khabibulin said.
It’s a fitting comparison given the 6-foot-3, right-catching Askarov broke Vasilevskiy’s record and become the highest Russian-born goalie when the Nashville Predators selected him with the 11th pick at the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday. Some expected Askarov to become the first goalie picked inside the top-10 since the Montreal Canadiens selected some guy named Carey Price fifth in the 2005 NHL Draft, but the smooth-moving Russian settled instead for tying Jonathan Bernier (Los Angeles, 2006) and Jack Campbell (Dallas, 2010) as the highest picked goalies since Price.
А-СКА-ров! pic.twitter.com/L81wSPhWlu
— Хоккейный клуб СКА (@hcSKA) September 17, 2020
Thank you for visiting! Previews of many articles are available; Full InGoal Premium content is only available to our Members – join today! Already a member? Login here
Join thousands of goalies, parents, and coaches who train smarter with InGoal.
15+ years as the #1 goaltending resource
Already a member? Log in