Askarov Teases Team-Up Celly With Walman, Talks ‘Positive’ Vibes With Nabokov (+)

Chances are, you’ve seen it.

Yaroslav Askarov, new San Jose Sharks goalie, celebrating an AHL shootout win by bench-pressing the goal back in 2023.

Chances are, you have an opinion about Askarov’s celebration.

But few noticed a moment when Askarov’s teammate saved him when the goal — after his bench press — was about to fall back on Askarov.

“It’s important to surround yourself with good people,” Askarov said in Russian, smiling when I asked about that near-miss. “So they’ll come to help when you need it.”

Here’s looking at you, Jimmy Huntington.

It looks like 22-year-old Askarov, who was traded from the Nashville Predators to the San Jose Sharks this summer, has already surrounded himself with like-minded people here in San Jose.

It’s no secret that Askarov has found a teammate in Jake Walman, of Griddy fame, who appreciates his bench press celly. But even better? He and Walman have been talking about ways to celebrate future wins…together. Although, Askarov said, those are just discussions — they haven’t rehearsed anything yet.

“We had a little bit of time to discuss this,” Askarov mentioned. “Most likely, we’ll take something from American football. Perhaps, this will be a celebration involving two people, Jake and me. We’ll try to surprise fans, get them excited. It will be cool, something new.”

Speaking of friends, Askarov is now officially neighbors with teammate Shakir Mukhamadullin, who he’s known since they played for kids’ teams of their native Omsk and Ufa respectively.

When Askarov moved to San Jose, he found a place in Shakir’s apartment building. So Mukhamadullin invited Askarov to stay at his apartment for a week until Askarov’s place became available.

Now that they’re officially neighbors, it’s time for Askarov to return the favor. The Mukhamadullins have already stopped by for a movie night and some snacks.

What’s next for the Russian duo? The building has a shared grill area, so I asked if Askarov would make steaks, just like Shakir Mukhamadullin did during the AHL All-Star game last February, when he invited Askarov and other Russian players over.

Askarov complemented Shakir’s skills (“a talented guy, cooks well”) and said that his own cooking skills are “in process.” Askarov did tell local media that his wife Alexandra is a good cook.

Another person who is helping Askarov adjust to San Jose is Sharks’ director of goaltending Evgeni Nabokov. It’s not even about the fact that both speak Russian. According to Askarov, it’s just the overall vibes.

“He’s a good, positive man whose positivity spreads around,” Askarov said of Nabokov. “It’s contagious.”

When I asked Askarov about what he meant by “positivity”, he said it’s about joking and poking each other: “You can joke about him, he can joke about you. You just need to know your boundaries, and everything is going to be well.”

While Askarov is serious about boundaries in real life, his Instagram stories are sometimes pretty unhinged. In 2021, after the World Junior Championships when he lost his stick an unusual number of times, he posted joke picture of super glue on his Instagram.

He didn’t tell me why he lost his stick so often. The reason? He spoke about it in a podcast hosted by his friend (“homie”, as Askarov put it) Timofey Davydov who plays in the KHL. The podcast is about to air, and Askarov wanted to respect that.

He said that he is “a so-so blogger” compared to Davydov.

“This summer, I stepped away from social networks,” Askarov admitted. “We’ll try to go back to it during this season and show fans our life, as much as we can. Once again, we play for them, and they’re interested in seeing this stuff.”

He and his wife Alexandra also have a Russian-language YouTube channel where they post about their life in America, a Q&A with Yaroslav or a video about a trip to Kyrgyzstan.

The channel has been quiet for a while. Turns out the reason was that the Askarovs lived apart last season when Alexandra went back to Saint Petersburg to finish college.

He said that they might bring this channel back to life: “If we get inspiration, we’ll go full speed. Probably. Probably not. Can’t promise.”

Askarov will get pretty busy this year, so don’t be surprised if he doesn’t post too often.

He’s arguably the best goaltending prospect in the world, but has only played in three NHL games so far. A two-time AHL All-Star, he had a somewhat disappointing Calder Cup run last spring with Milwaukee Admirals when he lost his spot to Troy Grosenick.

Now, he’s getting a fresh start with the San Jose Sharks, hoping for a breakthrough season, and, as expected, is pretty reserved when he answers questions about Nashville and his recent trade.

Yaroslav Askarov was the same way in a recent English interview with local Sharks reporters.

“I think everything worked out,” he told me about why it didn’t work out in Nashville. “I’m part of the San Jose organization and happy to be here.”

This season, Askarov is going to compete for playing time on the San Jose Sharks with the more experienced Blackwood and Vanecek. It’s hard to predict how many NHL games (and wins) Askarov will be able to record.

It will help if he’s healthy. Currently, Askarov is hampered by a day-to-day lower-body injury, which he says is not serious.

One competition he will definitely win in the goaltending room is Movember. I complimented his mustache, and he immediately thanked me.

“Two years ago, I had a beard,” Askarov explained. “I was just experimenting and one time, I shaved my beard and left a mustache. I thought it looked pretty good. Sent a pic to my parents, and they said, ‘Oh, that’s interesting, that’s cool — leave it!’”

He said that he only shaved his mustache once and didn’t like it: “It’s now part of my image.”