Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
The Canucks know that they have a special one in goaltender Artūrs Šilovs.
So do their Finals opponent, the Charlotte Checkers, who had done extensive pre-scout work on one of their chief obstacles to lifting the Calder Cup.
And certainly the Canucks’ previous four playoff opponents – the Tucson Roadrunners, Coachella Valley Firebirds, Colorado Eagles and Texas Stars – know all too well about Šilovs after he ended their seasons.
“He’s a big-time player, a big-game player,” Canucks captain Chase Wouters said.
Said forward Linus Karlsson, “He’s so calm.”
What Šilovs does come springtime can no longer be considered an aberration or a one-off. In 2023, he was named the most valuable player and best goaltender at the IIHF World Championship after backstopping Latvia to a bronze medal, the country’s first-ever medal in top-pool international competition. Last spring in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was pushed into action after injuries to Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith and opened eyes by leading Vancouver past Nashville and all the way to a Game 7 in the second round against Edmonton.
This postseason, he has already posted 13 wins, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts… and a 51-save performance in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals on Friday night.
“I think it’s great just enjoying playing hockey as long as possible,” Šilovs said. “And it’s a great feeling that there are only four teams left in the whole world still [playing] hockey. You still can enjoy the game you love.”
Early on in Game 1, the Checkers got to Šilovs and took a 3-1 lead, but the 24-year-old settled in and shut down Charlotte for the last 63 minutes and 17 seconds of the evening, stopping their final 34 shots.
Coachella Valley thought they had figured out Šilovs early, too. They scored three first-period goals in Game 2 of the division semifinals, chasing him from the Canucks net. Šilovs came back and stopped the next 77 shots he saw across the following three games, and the Firebirds went home for the summer.
Maybe Colorado’s potent offense could figure out Šilovs, especially after dinging him for four goals in Game 2 of the division finals? Šilovs proceeded to close out the Eagles with 96 saves on 101 shots in the next three games, including a Game 5 shutout.
Texas? Well, the Stars put a combined nine goals behind Šilovs in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals, but he rallied to help the Canucks to finish off Texas in six.
“It feels like the best time of the year,” said Šilovs, who was 14-5-1 with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 21 regular-season appearances with Abbotsford. “I think that’s what drives me the most. I mean, the playoffs are an emotional roller coaster. One game you can win 5-0, and then you lose the second game, and you have to be good with that because it doesn’t matter what the score was. Only the next game matters.”
In large part because of Šilovs, Vancouver’s top prospects have been able to experience all of the successes and struggles that come with a long postseason run.
“I think we’ve grown as a team with finding and keeping our identity, how we want to play, and I think we’ve gotten much better emotionally,” Šilovs expanded. “We understand that all our energy should go toward our success, toward our positivity on the bench, and as well as our whole group.”
Defenseman Christian Wolanin spun a few theories about Šilovs as well.
“I think he enjoys the spotlight,” Wolanin outlined. “I think he enjoys the moment. I was joking when fans were chanting his name. He’s a provincial hero. You saw he already performed against two of the best players in the world in (Connor) McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl and the Oilers last year, and then you saw what he did at the Worlds.
“In the big moments and when the spotlight’s on him and the pressure is on him, he thrives.”
Now the Canucks are three games away from a Calder Cup title. Some more of this kind of work when the weather gets hot from Šilovs, and they could have that championship.
“We just really trust him,” Klimovich said.
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
