Artūrs Šilovs had a wild summer. He supported the Abbotsford Canucks at the end of June to the first Calder Cup of the club in the AHL. Only a few weeks later, when the fold of the Vancouver Canucks was a bit overcrowded, Šilovs was exchanged to the Pittsburgh Penguins for potential Chase Stillman and a draft choice for the fourth round of 2027.
Fast forward to Tuesday evening and Šilovs was the confirmed starter for the tripe in their seasonal match on the road against the New York Rangers.
The Latvian Netter had no guarantee that he would take the net, while Veteran Tristan Jarry still held it in Pittsburgh, but getting the wink for the opening evening is a great shift of the club that he took over this summer.
Head coach then Muse told the collected media that he expects both goalkeepers to play the entire season, but Šilovs had a good camp and deserved the chance.
Arturs Silovs will be the opening evening of the #Penguins In New York.
And Muse:
“Silovs has a good camp. We’re going to look at both Arturs and Tristan to grow up early this season.” pic.twitter.com/iljjqyunmg
– Joe Brand (@joe_brand1) October 7, 2025
The career of a keeper is always interesting to follow. It is a difficult period for Šilovs, even though he had been with the same organization for a number of years. He had a number of calls at Vancouver, including during the Stanley Cup Playoffs from 2024, where he finally played in 10 games.
But he spent most of last year in the AHL and played only 10 NHL matches with poor results during the season.
During the Calder Cup Playoffs, however, things really seemed to turn for Šilovs. He was dominant for two months in a row, making the Abbotsford Canucks the story of the season and the team that almost all had to beat on his own.
He was named the Calder Cup Playoffs MVP after he posted a save percentage of .931 in the ‘Postseason’, won 16 of the 23 Starts with five shutouts en route. His ability to close the door to series was almost legendary, allowing two or fewer goals in every decisive match – including a few shutouts.
🎉 The Abbotsford Arty Party continued in Game 4 when the Canucks took a 3-1 lead in the Calder Cup Finals@abbycanucks | @Canucks | @Canucksarmy #AHL #Caldercup #Protsabbotsford #Canucks pic.twitter.com/g2xfacxtbf
– Flohockey (@flohockey) June 20, 2025
This opportunity at the Penguins is well deserved. Šilovs has proven itself at a number of levels and the position as a goalkeeper is one in which Pittsburgh urgently needs some stability, because they want to maintain a certain level of competitiveness in the after days of Sidney Crosby in the competition.
At the age of 24, Šilovs is still young for a goalkeeper and he brought a whole load of positive experiences to the NHL.
It seems that this Penguins team can be pretty leak, which means that he will have a lot of work for him. But it seems that Šilovs is getting closer to an AHL graduated and a full-time Nhler. The best chance of his career is waiting.
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