Yaroslav Askarov or Spencer Knight?

An in-depth look at two of the best goaltending prospects in the game, and what the Predators and Panthers are getting.

With the World Junior Championships ending recently, we saw some stellar goaltending performances from the likes of Devon Levi, Sebastian Wraneschitz, Simon Latkoczy, Spencer Knight, Kari Piiroinen, and even Yaroslav Askarov. However, two of those names stand out among the rest.

Yaroslav Askarov and Spencer Knight are both first-round draft picks. The most recent two of the 20 since Marc-Andre Fleury was drafted in 2003. This number is expected to increase next year with the other highly touted, Swedish netminder, Jesper Wallstedt. While goalies are extremely hard to predict and almost harder to rank because of their inherent randomness, there is no doubt that both players have a tremendous amount of raw talent. That being said, it’s always fun to try.

A Little Bit About Askarov

Saying that Yaroslav Askarov is a good goalie is an extreme understatement. He’s recognized by many scouts as “the best goaltending prospect since Carey Price.” Even if some won’t go that far, it is undeniable that Askarov deserves the recognition he is getting from the hockey world. He has been dominant in the KHL this season. Despite only playing seven games (mainly due to his international tournaments and the large rotation of goalies on the SKA roster), he has put up an astounding .962 save percentage and 0.96 goals-against average (while only having one shutout) at the ripe age of 18. Additionally, he helped lead the Russians to an undefeated Karjala Cup tournament win. A tournament between the four national men’s teams of Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden, and Finland. Oddly enough, he ended with stats almost identical to the ones he possesses in the KHL. He had a .962 save percentage and 0.98 goals-against average. However, this year’s Russian team was their U20 team. Askarov not only got experience playing against men in the KHL but also in that tournament.

Askarov has been an astute goalie for the entirety of his young career. He was the second-youngest goaltender to play in a KHL at the age of 17. Who is the goalie ahead of him? None other than the heir apparent to the Islanders’ crease, Ilya Sorokin.

I think it’s safe to say that Askarov has built up a great resume from a very young age. His play in men’s leagues as a teenager is extremely impressive and one of the more promising things about his goaltending career.

A Little Bit About Knight

Spencer Knight is also proving to be worth the hype. The Panthers' 2019 first-round pick currently attends Boston College and is lighting it up in the NCAA so far. He has a 1.50 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage with two shutouts in four games played. Knight like Askarov has been a consistent goaltender over the course of his career. While dominating American leagues is not the same as dominating the KHL, it’s still extremely impressive. Knight is not only lighting it up in the NCAA but also lit it up in the most recent World Junior Championship in Edmonton. He was a key factor in the United States bringing home the gold. Despite having a rough debut against Askarov and the Russians, he bounced back and was solid the rest of the tournament. He posted three shutouts including one in the championship game against Canada (the first-ever shutout in a medal-round game by an American goalie); A team that had yet to give up a goal at even strength and posted an unbelievable goal differential in the tournament.

Knight posted a fantastic 1.63 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage which was good for second in both categories among all goalies in the tournament. The only goalie that performed better was the other Florida Panthers goalie prospect in the tournament, Devon Levi. While the American defense limited a lot of high-quality chances, Knight still had to face the fourth-most shots in the tournament. For comparison, Askarov had to face the second most.

Knight has shown why he was picked 13th overall in 2019 both in the NCAA and in the WJC this year. His statistics are through the roof and for good reason. While both examples could be criticized for the small sample, it is very evident that Knight’s performances are no fluke.

Askarov Pros and Cons

Yaroslav Askarov is a very interesting goaltender. He’s a butterfly goalie, which is an archetype that we don’t see a lot of in today’s NHL. Not only is he a rare type of goalie in the rawest form, but the way he maneuvers around the crease is Dominik Hasek-esque. He is extremely aggressive when challenging shooters (this is most likely because he gets down very low in his stance), and is an exceptionally flexible goaltender with fantastic reflexes. His biggest strengths when watching him are his lateral movement and glove hand. He is one of the best goaltenders when it comes to cross-crease plays and stopping tough rebounds. Additionally, he is one of the very few goalies that I have seen consistently stop Cole Caufield’s blistering one-timer on the powerplay. While this is more anecdotal evidence of how good Askarov’s lateral movement is, it does contribute to the bigger picture.

Not only is Askarov extremely aggressive and frantic, but he is a goaltender that can read plays very well. He has a distinct and important ability to pick apart plays before they happen. Also, he can read plays through traffic at a terrific level. His height is a key contributor to this as one might expect.

One of Askarov’s other strengths is his ability to play the puck. Often he will come way out of his net and move the puck up the ice to an open forward or a defenseman on the half wall. Not only does this change the opponent's gameplan, but it makes his respective team much more threatening. The dump and chase strategy is effectively negated which leaves limited options. Goalies that can play the puck well at a consistent level are an extremely underrated asset.

However, all of these strengths could also be categorized as weaknesses to some extent. Askarov’s frenetic movements often put him far out of position. His unconventional style involves getting low and moving frequently in the crease. This can lead to the top part of the net being the prime target for all kinds of shots, which one wouldn’t think is the case considering his frame. As for his puck playing, Askarov loves to do it but can also get carried away. He sometimes comes a bit too far out of his cage to play it which is not only heart attack inducing for fans but could also cost him in the future.

Another slight weakness of Askarov’s that was frequently exploited during the World Juniors was his seven-hole (above the pad, below the glove). This can also be somewhat attributed to his style, but in KHL play it was never this bad. This could be because players haven’t tested it as much, or it was an anomaly. I think the latter is more likely.

Knight’s Pros and Cons

Knight is a much less exciting goaltender. He is a far more calm presence in the blue paint than Askarov. The backbone of the USA championship team is a hybrid goaltender that has a style similar to Montreal Canadiens goalie, Carey Price. A lot of his movements are concise and his goaltending is largely based on his high hockey IQ, rather than his physical presence. Knight is no slouch when it comes to overall physique standing at 6’3, but he doesn’t rely on it to make saves. One could say that his game is centered around his poise in the net.

Knight is one of those goalies that doesn’t have a lot of negatives to his game, but he isn’t exceptionally good at anything either. With Askarov it is very apparent that his lateral movement and physical presence within the crease are second to none. However, the same can’t be said for Knight. Of course, he has great physical attributes, but he uses his mind to his advantage. Knight rarely gets out of position, expends too much energy, and causes chaos within the net. He’s more of a smart goalie than a physically imposing one.

As I mentioned before, Knight is a unique goalie that doesn’t seem to excel in any aspect of the position but doesn’t have any flaws either. The weakest part of his game after watching him was his puck playing ability. He doesn’t play it that often but in the scenarios that he does, he looks very uncomfortable. Not only does he look uncomfortable, but he also looks unconfident. Luckily, this is a part of the game that can be worked on overtime. If I were a Panthers fan I would be extremely happy that this is the particular aspect that stands out negatively. While it is an underrated part of a goaltender's game, it is not necessary to be an expert at launching stretch passes down the ice to a streaking forward.

In the video above, Knight doesn’t come out to play the puck. Rather, he opts to stay in his crease and wait for the defenseman to skate back and regroup. While the play isn’t wrong by any means, most pass savvy goaltenders like Rinne, Smith, or even Askarov would be licking their chops at the opportunity to come out of their net and play the puck. The hesitance to come out of his crease may be a result of multiple things that I’m not qualified to assume. However, it is clear that extending plays and moving the puck is not a strong suit for him.

I wish I could make this explanation a bit longer but Knight is extremely uninteresting. This isn’t meant to say that he is bad in any way, shape, or form. It is rather to say that he is good at pretty much everything, so there isn’t much to harp on him about, and it would take me a long time to go through all of the things that he’s good at. Askarov is a goalie that has some flaws that come with his aggressive playstyle. Since Knight’s game is poise and calmness, there isn’t a lot to point out.

Comparison and Conclusion

The differences between Askarov and Knight are apparent, to say the least. Their playstyles and whom they model their games after are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Both have immense amounts of raw talent and it’s evident that their minds work at a high level and in sync with their bodies. However, if I were a general manager and had to pick one of these two studs, I would choose Askarov. While Knight is going to be a great goalie in the future, I think it’s hard to say that he will be better than Askarov. After what Askarov has done in the KHL against men at a very young age, it’s hard to ignore. While NHLe is a very primitive metric when it comes to prospect evaluation, it’s one of the only ways that we can look at goaltenders and their projections.

Askarov being a year younger in a harder league and putting up the numbers he did is flat-out impressive. Even when looking past the statistics, he can take over a game and shut it down. Any low shots that get to the net rarely go in. His glove and blocker are always active, which is extremely effective when he is cutting off the angles from the shooter. This is not to say that Knight can’t take over a game too, but the number of times I, as well as others, have seen Askarov bail out terrible defense and stone an entire offense is innumerable.

Knight and Askarov will most likely both be studs among other elite goaltenders in the NHL for years to come. But as of right now if I am choosing one to draft, I am picking Askarov. His consistent dominance among the best players in Russia and internationally is unmatched for a 17-18 year old goalie. Most scouts have said that he will be better than Knight, and while it is extremely hard to predict goalies it’s hard to deny that when taking a more in-depth look at the two players.