"I feel joy and happiness, and still can't understand what just happened," Askarov said after the Predators chose him in the first round. "Every kid has dreams and goals, and I was one of them."
Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had been the highest-drafted Russia-born goalie; he was selected with the No. 19 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
"When I started to play hockey, I was dreaming about the NHL and today is the first step to make it real," Askarov said.
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Askarov (6-foot-3, 176 pounds), who catches right-handed, is the fifth Russia-born goalie to be selected in the first round. He joins Vasilevskiy; Yevgeni Ryabchikov, No. 21 in 1994 by the Boston Bruins; Semyon Varlamov, No. 23 in 2006 by the Washington Capitals; and Ilya Samsonov, No. 22 in 2015 by Washington.
The 18-year-old is also the highest goalie taken since Jack Campbell was selected by the Dallas Stars with the No. 11 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft.
"[Askarov] is an elite, elite prospect," Predators assistant general manager Jeff Kealty said. "The talent level and the athleticism stands out right away. We compare his athleticism to that of (Predators goalie) Pekka Rinne or (Los Angeles Kings goalie) Jonathan Quick, and he's mature beyond his years in terms of his compete level and mental makeup.
"We believe he was the best player available, and if you have a franchise goaltender on your hands, which we do believe he will be, you're in a very good situation."
Selecting Askarov, under contract to SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League through 2020-21, fills a future need for Nashville.
Rinne turns 38 on Nov. 3 and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season; goalie Juuse Saros can become a restricted free agent after next season. Saros took over as the No. 1 goalie after Rinne struggled this season and the 25-year-old went 12-5-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and four shutouts in his last 20 games (18 starts) of the regular season. He had a 3.22 GAA and .895 save percentage in a four-game loss to the Arizona Coyotes in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.