Askarov, Preds Russian Prospects Impress to Win Karjala Cup

The fact Iaroslav Askarov played as well as he did for Russia to lead them to a championship in the Karjala Cup last weekend wasn't necessarily a surprise, but the goaltender's stellar effort was another nice affirmation for Nashville's brass.
The 18-year-old netminder, who the Predators selected with the 11th overall pick in last month's NHL Draft, backstopped Russia to a tournament title by winning all three of his appearances, while posting a 0.98 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage. Askarov's exclamation point came in the final contest against the Czech Republic, where he recorded a 29-save shutout to claim the trophy.
Many who were in attendance, including Predators European Scout Janne Kekalainen, would name Askarov the tournament's best puck-stopper - if not best player overall - and that's exactly what those in Nashville were hoping to see from their top goaltending prospect.

"Everything that we know about his game, all the trademarks - big, athletic, focused, competitive - he showed all of those off," Predators Assistant General Manager Jeff Kealty said of Askarov. "He made saves at key times and got the win in a shootout against the Swedes, which shows you the type of talent that he has in those situations. This tournament was just another example of what we've said all along and how he can rise to the occasion at these top international tournaments, and to do it at a pro level is pretty impressive."

In fact, Askarov's showing at this tournament brought additional enthusiasm due to the competition he faced.
Under normal circumstances, as Kealty explained, the Karjala Cup pits the best players residing from Russia, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic - and specifically, those who are currently playing professionally in the top European leagues - against one another. Another tournament would then allow those countries to ice their Under-20 teams - in preparation for the annual World Junior Championship - as a tune-up of sorts for that tournament.
But, with pandemic restrictions forcing organizers to re-evaluate, that initial Under-20 tournament was canceled. As a result, while the Finns, the Swedes and the Czechs still elected to send their pro teams to the Karjala Cup, the Russians chose their Under-20 squad.
Thanks in part to Askarov's heroics, that didn't matter one bit.
"Just knowing the type of talent and athleticism that he has, how dynamic he is, and then the mental aspect of it, it's all very impressive," Kealty said of Askarov. "He's always shown that he's at that elite mental level where he rises to the occasion against top competition, older players and those sorts of things. There's always that added pressure - we're only a month after the draft, he's the first goalie taken - but it's one of the things that we're always attracted to is just that mental strength where he doesn't really seem fazed by those sorts of pressures. To see him perform that well was exciting to see."

Askarov wasn't the only Predators prospect who impressed for the Russians either. Forward Egor Afanasyev and defenseman Semyon Chistyakov - selected by Nashville in the second and fourth rounds of the 2019 NHL Draft, respectively - also had impressive showings for their country.
Afanasyev, who stands 6-foot-4, recorded two goals and two assists for Russia, and Chistyakov skated on what Kealty says was essentially Russia's top defensive pairing in the tournament.
"Afanasyev played a top-six role for them, played on the power play and had a good level of production in the tournament," Kealty said. "He's big and strong, has a good work ethic and he's got really good skills for a big man… And Chistyakov…played in every situation. I'd say he probably had as much ice time as any other defenseman, and he wore a letter as an assistant captain for part of the tournament. He did all the things that we've come to appreciate in his game."
Note:
The Predators
signed Luke Evangelista to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday
. Nashville selected the 18-year-old Evangelista with the 42nd overall pick in last month's NHL Draft, and inking him to his first professional deal is another step in his development into what the Preds hope will be a skilled forward in the League.

"We were very high on going into the draft, and we're really excited to have him," Kealty said. "We all really believe in his upside and his development, and it's been well documented how diligent he is about his game and what he needs to work on. So, we certainly felt that it was a good investment for us, we're excited to have him signed here and we're excited about the future."