Top Vancouver Canucks goalie prospect Arturs Silovs is on the verge of tying, and potentially breaking, an AHL record that has stood for 25 years.
Silovs, 24, has, of course, dominated this postseason for the Abbotsford Canucks, racking up a 10-3-0 record in 14 games whilst posting a 1.61 GAA, a .941 save percentage, and five shutouts this Calder Cup campaign in the AHL playoffs.
For context, the current record for shutouts in a single Calder Cup campaign is six, which was set by former Canucks goalie Mika Noronen back in 2000. Noronen, who was only 20 at the time, was playing in his first full season in North America for the Rochester Americans and was named the AHL Rookie of the Year for his efforts.
In that record-setting playoff campaign, Noronen was 13-8 in 21 appearances with a 1.80 GAA, a .936 save percentage, and those fabled six shutouts.
And despite those early success, Noronen lasted only six total seasons in North America, including parts of five seasons in the NHL. The Vancouver Canucks were the Finn's last stop before his playing career took him overseas, starring for clubs in Russia, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Switzerland.
At 24, Silovs is not that far along in his fledgling career and could even find himself threatening Thatcher Demko for a spot on the Canucks, partly due to his own performance and partly due to the trade rumors surrounding Demko.
Before then, Silovs has some business to take care of in the Calder Cup Western Conference Final, with Noronen's shutouts record well within reach with plenty of more hockey still to be played.