SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Milwaukee Admirals goaltender Yaroslav Askarov has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending January 7, 2024.
Back from a recall to the parent Nashville Predators, Askarov stopped all 56 shots he faced in two starts for the Admirals last week, recording his first two shutouts of the season.
Askarov returned to the Milwaukee lineup on Friday night and made 30 saves in a 1-0 overtime win over visiting Colorado, his first shutout of 2023-24 after six previous starts of just one goal allowed. Then on Saturday, Askarov turned aside 26 Eagles shots to backstop the Admirals to a 5-0 victory, extending his shutout streak to 131 minutes and 13 seconds.
In 17 games for Milwaukee this season, Askarov (10-6-1) ranks second in the AHL with a 2.14 goals-against average and sixth with a .920 save percentage. He has also made two appearances with Nashville in 2023-24, earning his first career NHL win with a 27-save effort at Washington on Dec. 30.
A 21-year-old native of Omsk, Russia, Askarov was the Predators’ first-round choice (11th overall) and the first goaltender selected in the 2020 NHL Draft. He went 26-16-5 with a 2.69 GAA, a .911 save percentage and three shutouts for Milwaukee as a rookie in 2022-23 before helping the Admirals reach the Western Conference Finals. He also became the youngest goaltender in Nashville franchise history to start a game when he made his NHL debut against Montreal on Jan. 12, 2023.
