Sharks sign EBUG with Yaroslav Askarov out against Bruins

It’s EBUG time, baby.

The San Jose Sharks have signed college netminder Kyle Chauvette to an amateur tryout contract ahead of the team’s game against the Boston Bruins tonight.

Yaroslav Askarov will miss the game with a lower-body injury.

This will mark the first time Chauvette has been an emergency backup goaltender in his career, having spent the past four years playing in the NCAA.

Chauvette recently finished his fourth year of college hockey, going 13-19-1 with five shutouts and a .902 save percentage at the University of New Hampshire. He spent three years at Union College before that, highlighted by an 18-13-3 record last year.

Chauvette finished his college tenure with a record of 48-50-8 with 10 shutouts and a .897 save percentage in 115 starts over four seasons. The 24-year-old does not have a deal in place for 2026-27, but is free to sign a pro deal now that his college run has concluded. Prior to kicking off his college career, Chauevette spent two years with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms.

EBUGs who have seen NHL action in the past include David Ayres (Carolina Hurricanes), Scott Foster (Chicago Blackhawks), Tom Hodges (Anaheim Ducks), Jett Alexander (Toronto Maple Leafs), Matt Berlin (Edmonton Oilers), and Jorge Alves (Carolina Hurricanes).

Veteran Alex Nedeljkovic, who signed a contract extension prior to the NHL Trade Deadline last week, will get the start in net for the Sharks. The 30-year-old has an 11-9-3 record with a .900 save percentage this season, but is more remembered for his fight against Sergei Bobrovsky earlier this season.

San Jose enters Thursday’s matchup with a 30-26-6 record, good for 66 points. They sit one point behind Seattle, who currently holds the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.