The only goaltender selected in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft, Yaroslav Askarov was taken 11th overall by the Nashville Predators. He made his full-time debut in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League this season with St. Petersburg SKA, sporting a record of 4 wins and 3 losses in seven games with a 0.96 goals-against average, a .962 save percentage and one shutout.
Askarov, 18, is the top candidate to become Russia's starting goaltender in this upcoming tournament. This will be his second appearance in the World Juniors. Quant Hockey indicates he appeared in five games in last year's competition, though his stats (2.