Arturs Silovs looks ready to step up for Canucks in the absence of Demko

Entering last season, Artūrs Šilovs was the great unknown. Yes he had talent, athleticism and size, but the Vancouver Canucks were yet to see what he could do at the NHL level outside of a small sample size.

The case remained the same, after a 2023-24 regular season where Šilovs started just four games for the Canucks. Then came the playoffs.

When the Canucks' pushing and mismanagement of Thatcher Demko resulted in the premature ending to his season, it was a DEFCON 1 situation. Could Casey DeSmith step into the breach as the main man, in the absence of the Canucks' Vezina Trophy finalist?

Silovs becomes the main man

Except it wasn't DeSmith who took over between the pipes as the new number one. Instead, coach Rick Tocchet entrusted Šilovs, which spoke volumes about the faith the organisation had in the young goalie.

When it was all said and done, Šilovs had started 10 games during the Canucks' playoff run. (DeSmith started just two games in the playoffs.) This was significant, given it turned out to be one more appearance than his total NHL game experience up to that point.

One of the biggest examples of Šilovs being unfazed by everything, was his play in the Canucks' 1-0 win which clinched the first round series versus the Nashville Predators. As per Sportsnet, he saved all 28 shots he faced and became the youngest goalie in team history to record a playoff shutout, at 23 years and 42 days. (The previous record was held by Demko, at 24 years and 270 days.)

The Canucks were ultimately knocked out in the second round by the Edmonton Oilers, after taking the eventual Stanley Cup finalists all the way to seven games. However, the Canucks had seen enough to know the future of their goalie position was in safe hands.

Silovs needed more than ever

As a result, the Canucks decided to let DeSmith leave, before (eventually) signing Šilovs to a two-year, $1.7 million extension. Now though, the 23-year-old will be leaned on again, with Demko still dealing with a knee injury which means he will more than likely miss the beginning of the upcoming regular season.

Yes the Canucks did sign Kevin Lankinen to provide some depth in goal, but it is Šilovs who possess the intriguing upside. The young goaltender recently had to deal with knee ligament inflammation himself, which forced him to miss Latvia's 2026 Olympic qualifiers, but is now back and ready to go.

This much is even more clear following training camp, and particularly the scrimmage which concluded it ahead of preseason action. The general consensus is that Šilovs excelled during the scrimmage, only further building the confidence both within himself and from the coaching staff and his teammates.

Leading the way at Canucks scrimmage

The 2019 sixth round draft pick was unbeatable for Team Blue during the first half of the scrimmage, both in the metaphorical and literal sense. He stopped every shot he faced, regardless of the strength, danger level, angle or distance.

This was no mean feat, considering Team White contained players of the calibre of Brock Boeser and JT Miller. As a result of Šilovs' exploits, Team Blue led 1-0 at the halfway point despite clearly being second-best and outshot 16-9.

Šilovs would then be replaced in net by Ty Young, and Team Blue went on to win 2-1. There was no mistaking who the star of the show was though.

Of course, a training camp scrimmage doesn't quite compare to actual games, whether it be the preseason or -- more importantly -- the regular season. Regardless, it's tough to ignore the exploits of Šilovs, who remained calm throughout and repeatedly showed his positional sense and high hockey IQ in net.

It remains imperative that Demko returns as soon as possible, to help the Canucks' make a genuine challenge for a second straight playoff berth. However, if recent events are any indication, Šilovs is ready to step up and take further vital steps towards fulfilling his undoubted potential.

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