Sharks’ top goalie prospect to make organizational debut this weekend

SAN JOSE – Goalie Yaroslav Askarov will make his San Jose Sharks organizational debut this weekend when the San Jose Barracuda play a pair of road games against the Ontario Reign to open the AHL regular season.

The 22-year-old Askarov, who missed most of Sharks’ training camp with a lower-body injury, was assigned to the Barracuda on Oct. 4 and has practiced with the team all week without any issue.

Askarov’s last game was during the Calder Cup playoffs with the Milwaukee Admirals on May 24

“That’s why I’m ready to go and so excited,” Askarov said Friday morning before the team left for Southern California.

Barracuda coach John McCarthy said Friday he hadn’t finalized when Askarov will start his first game for San Jose, but is leaning toward playing him in Saturday’s season-opener against the Reign at Toyota Arena.

In that case, Georgi Romanov would likely start Sunday’s game at 3 p.m.

McCarthy said Askarov has looked, “really good, composed. Angles are really good, he’s under control. I’m excited to see him play in a game.”

The Sharks acquired Askarov from Nashville in August in a deal that sent center prospect David Edstrom, goalie Magnus Chrona and a conditional 2025 first-round pick – that originally belonged to the Vegas Golden Knights — to the Predators that also saw minor league forward Nolan Burke and a 2025 third-round pick come to San Jose.

Askarov went 30-13-1 for the Milwaukee Admirals last season, posting a .911 save percentage and a 2.39 goals-against average in 44 games with six shutouts.

“It always like stings when you’ve got an injury, because you try to be around the team, but it’s not the same, because you’re not full time with the team,” Askarov said. “But it is what it is. I focusing on positive stuff. I try to keep focus on whatever I can control.”