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PENTICTON, BC – Arturs Silovs was a star forward for the Vancouver Canucks during last season’s playoffs – and not just for his fashion sense.

Now, with Vancouver’s standout goalie Thatcher Demko sidelined by a rare muscle injury, Silovs appears poised to take over once again.

The 23-year-old Latvian remains unfazed by the opportunity.

“It has to be taken one day at a time. Take it as a challenge and be ready,” he said at Canucks training camp in Penticton, BC

Silovs’ cool, calm demeanor drew plenty of attention last spring — as the pink-dressed Paisley Canucks forward borrowed JT Miller from Silovs’ locker and sported during a morning skate.

Silovs spent much of the regular season with Vancouver’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, before joining the NHL club for its playoff run.

Over the course of a few weeks, he went from being a third-string netminder to posting his first NHL shutout in a stunning win against Nashville that propelled the Canucks to the second round of the playoffs. He then remained in net as the team ground its way through a seven-game series against the Edmonton Oilers.

Silovs went 5-5-0 throughout the postseason with an .898 save percentage, 2.91 goals against average and shutouts.

After time to reflect during the offseason, the six-foot-four, 203-pound goaltender said the streak held many lessons.

“I think he showed me how best to play hockey, and in the most difficult situations,” he said. “There’s so much pressure around, right? And everyone wants to win. Everyone is scrambling, trying to do their best.

“So I think that gave me a lot of confidence too, just being in the game, having good games, and having confidence and winning. And now I think it’s easier to go in with that experience under your belt.”

Silovs spent the summer working through a knee injury that kept him out of Latvia’s lineup during an Olympic qualifier.

Making the decision to sit out was not easy for Silovs, but he wanted to prioritize his future and he knew he was not at the level he expected to be at when representing his country.

“I want to be at 100 percent, not 80 percent, right?” he said.

Latvia went undefeated in the tournament and will compete at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

“I was quite confident about our core for the national team,” said Silovs. “And I was confident enough that we were going to manage it and win it.”

With Demko sidelined indefinitely, Silovs is expected to be Vancouver’s starter through the pre-season, starting on Tuesday when the Canucks host the Seattle Kraken. It could also be a net​​​​ when the regular season campaign begins with a visit from the Calgary Flames on October 9.

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet isn’t nervous about having the promising goalie man the crease.

“The way this team defends, the way we play the puck, I’m comfortable,” he said. “We have a certain way we want to play, and hopefully take pressure off a goalkeeper, whether it’s Demmer or Silovs or whoever. I think that’s important.”

Structure and a solid netminder were key for Vancouver in last year’s playoffs, defenseman Quinn Hughes said.

“It wasn’t like we were playing so solid and stable that Arty didn’t have to make any saves,” he said. “I mean, he made some really good saves, and he’s a great, great goalie, and we’re lucky to have him in the organization with Demmer down. Obviously our structure helps us, but I don’t think that can take away from what a good goalkeeper Arty is.”

Even with a defensive structure and solid goaltending, the Canucks eventually fell to the Oilers in Game 7 of the second-round series.

It’s a result that still upsets the squad as a new season begins, said Silovs.

“I think it makes you hungry, right? It wasn’t enough. We were short. And I think, for me, I want to get better,” he said. “I think that’s great. We need that hunger to be successful.”

This report was first published by The Canadian Press on September 20, 2024.