Sheng Peng
CALGARY — Yaroslav Askarov just had to take a breath. Literally.
Much was expected from the 2020 No. 11 pick, going into the 2025-26 campaign. There were expectations that the top prospect, acquired from the Nashville Predators in the summer of 2024 for the equivalent of two first-round picks, would be ready to step in immediately as the San Jose Sharks’ No. 1 goalie.
Instead, veteran Alex Nedeljkovic earned the opening night nod over the 23-year-old. And Askarov struggled all month, going 1-4-1 with a 4.69 GAA and .844 Save % in October. Per Evolving Hockey, his -3.41 Goals Saved Above Expected was ninth-worst in the NHL (of 65 goalies).
The young Russian looked shellshocked after a couple losses, and admitted, “I was stuck with myself as well. Still no idea what’s [going on] with me before. I know I wasn’t playing great before.”
What a difference a month makes.
Askarov is 4-0-0 in November with a 1.23 GAA and .963 Save %. His +11.64 GSAx leads the league (of 55 goalies).
Askarov has been, so far this month, arguably the best goalie in the NHL.
“It’s pretty nice to get that feeling back,” Askarov told San Jose Hockey Now.
So what’s helped Askarov find his game? The answer might just be as simple as taking a deep breath.
“I tried many, many different things,” Askarov said, about getting out of his October slump.
“First thing I always try to do, I feel like I have to work harder, and I started work harder, and this wasn’t helping,” he said. “I probably [was] overthinking.”
Askarov was getting plenty of support, publicly and privately, within the San Jose Sharks organization.
“[Goaltending coach Thomas Speer], the coaches, teammates was helping me with some [positive] words,” he said.
“I think maybe it’s the outside perspective [that] he needs to carry the world on his shoulders, and he’s probably feeling that pressure a little bit. We’ve got to put our arms around him, help him and guide him,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said about Yaroslav Askarov in October. “He’s hitting a little speed bump early in his NHL career. The world’s not coming to an end. He’s going to be just fine.”
Regardless, Askarov knew that he had to look within himself: “You have to manage it, because no one can manage for you.”
So how did Askarov manage to get back to himself?
“Nothing was helping,” he said. “I was like, probably I have to just relax and just breathe.”
That’s all?
“Exhale, breathe. Exhale, breathe. And just like, forgot everything,” Askarov said. “Just fully relaxed and just play, not overthinking, just play the game.”
Askarov is now doing this breathwork on a near-daily basis.
“Sometimes, you can [take] like five minutes. It’s like a little meditation,” he said. “Sometimes, you can get less, around a minute.”
On top of these breathing exercises?
“Classical music too, it helps,” Askarov said. “I love it, just listening to it in my car, just relax.”
All these little things add up to something big.
“All of that stuff, just day-by-day, day-by-day, day-by-day, right? And one day, you’ll be in great mood,” he said. “It’s not only about hockey.”
But speaking of hockey, this is what all of Askarov’s off-ice work looks like on the ice.
“He’s calmed down his game a little bit,” Warsofsky said. “He just [looks] really locked in. He’s tracking pucks really well.”
Of course, Askarov isn’t going to keep stopping shots at a .963 clip. He’s saved 131-of-136 shots in November.
“It’s all life, up and down, right?” Askarov said. “Pretty much every season you have some bad days.”
That’s the trick for all young players, how to have more good days than bad in a season. Askarov is still figuring that out, but right now, the talented young netminder is showing the San Jose Sharks how good he can be.
He just had to take a deep breath first.