Tank Talk: Yaroslav Askarov

Tank Talk: Yaroslav Askarov

ask you, you had a a season that was kind of all over the place, a little bit in the NHL, a little bit in the AHL and obviously the late season injury, but just as you kind of are done with it now and you put together all the pieces, how do you summarize the hockey season, your first hockey season in San Jose? So, I think so I was growing up in this season. I got some experience, some opportunity like you said, some games in NHL, some games in AHL. Uh just like the great people around me. So that means a lot. How do you think you you came along as a as a person and as a hockey player? How did you mature this season? Um it’s like uh probably like you’re driving the car, you know, like whatever like when you’re driving like the first time you you can do anything you can, you just you’re scared, but like after like couple hours and every every next hour you’re going to be better and better and better. It’s it’s probably like it’s ghost now. So you you feel more comfortable now. It sounds like. Yeah. Yeah. That’s awesome. And especially like when you’re a new guy like in a in a you know like in the team in in the city you kind of like still feels a little bit like uncomfortable but like now it feels like it is my like second home. So that’s that’s awesome. Yeah. Well, I was going to ask this later, but I I’ll just do it now. You know, San Jose fans really seemed to attach to you this year. They really seem to like you and your style of play this year. Do you kind of feel the same way about them? And and do you not do you notice that that appreciation they have for you? Fans fans and reals here actually. And I’ve seen I’ve seen it before like you know when I was checking in like uh when uh Sharks played in the playoff. Yeah. And and I saw that crowd I and I was felt that um like uh I felt that crowd. I felt that uh energy in the like in the playoff when we played here like that’s was that’s was electric. Yeah. I always felt the atmosphere and that’s means a lot to you. So that’s the great fans. We have the great fans. Wait till you get to a Sharks playoff game coming out of coming out of that shark head. It’s it’s even different than that. But in terms of all six Barracuda playoff games that we just witnessed and in the end it’s three wins, three losses. I think the Cuda showed a lot of compete like in all the games sweeping round one and playing Colorado very tough. Are you pretty satisfied even though it’s over? Are you pretty satisfied with your team’s effort in the postseason? So I think so we was we was battling. We was we was pretty good. This was pretty close series. So yeah. Yeah. So that’s it’s not the end what we want but like uh it’s uh for a lot of guys this was the first playoff. So and uh this a great experience for they can they can uh learn something from that and just uh moving forward you know if that back experience what they have now going to be better for everybody. I noticed just in terms of your gameplay and being familiar with it that you kind of stayed more in the crease. you stayed at home a little bit more in the playoffs than than maybe I was used to before. Was that like strategic, intentional? Was there is it because it was the playoffs? How did how did you change your game a little bit? Uh probably after after injury I was kind of like uh forgot how I was played with like the bug. That’s that’s why I was like stayed in the crease more and it is playoff too. That’s why I wasn’t I like Risky, but Yeah. Not in the playoffs. Yeah. Okay. So, I now I get the fuller picture, but I was assuming it had to do with the postseason. What What did you learn? Again, it was only six games in the playoffs, but and I don’t know how much other playoff experience you have in your life. Certainly not like in professional hockey, maybe like like this. What What did you take away from these playoffs? I just kind of like felt more comfy too like in especially like this playoff the last three playoffs I was uh I was a little bit struggling that’s what I think I I could be better this year could be better too but like uh I don’t know like just I was feels comfy you know I was feels like confident and uh just try to did my best yeah well a lot of lowscoring playoff games so I think That speaks to good team defense on both sides, but obviously good goalending, too. Uh, so what are your plans this summer? What are you going to do to train? What are you going to do to have fun? Maybe let’s start with the hockey side. What What’s your development for this summer? What’s your plan? So, my plan, it’s going to be start to work in uh I’m going to get back to Russia. Going to start to work off the ice on the ice there. And uh uh plan getting back to San Jose in August. So, okay. Second week of August and uh continue to build here. All right. And then we got to get you some free time. We got to get you some uh some vacation. It is summer after all. What kind of personal plans could you share with us? Uh I’m going to go to Dubai for like five to six days. All right. That’s the great That’s the great city. It is the great country. So, I just would like to get back. I’ve been there once for like seven days, five, seven days before and I always loved it. So that’s why I just would like to get back for like week. Give us uh give us a little post on Instagram. All right. Let us know you’re you’re having fun out there. All right. Asky. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Have a good one. Have a good summer. You too. Thank you, Sharks fans.

Brodie Brazil talks with goaltender Yaroslav Askarov during the San Jose Barracuda’s locker clean out day on May 9, 2025.