Welcome to the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks player review series. Over the summer, we will be taking a look at Canucks players performances from the 2023-24 season. Today’s player is Artūrs Šilovs, who had three wins in four regular season games.
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Šilovs may have had one of the most bizarre seasons by a Vancouver goaltender in franchise history. After struggling in the AHL for parts of the season, he ended up saving the Canucks multiple times in the playoffs, confirming that he is ready to be a full-time NHLer. From phenomenal saves to one of the best shirts you will ever see, Šilovs’ 2023-24 campaign will be remembered for a long time.
As mentioned, Šilovs did not have an ideal season in the AHL. In 34 games, he went 16-11-6 with four shutouts and posted a save percentage of .907%. While he did have strong performances, there were some problematic nights, which even led to discussion in the market of whether or not he should have been called up when Thatcher Demko was injured in March. Luckily, Šilovs was able to produce some solid outings in the regular season, putting together a 3-0-1 record over those four games.
The playoffs is where the “Arty Party” really took off. After both Demko and Casey DeSmith went down in the first three games, Šilovs stepped in and guided the Canucks to Game 7 of the second round. Over his ten games as the starter, he went 5-5, with his crowing moment being a 28-save shutout in Game 6 versus the Nashville Predators to win that series.
Related: Silovs’ Sensational Performance Leads Canucks To Game 3 Win Over The Oilers
It is hard to blame Vancouver’s series loss on Šilovs, but some areas of concern stuck out during the postseason. According to NHL EDGE, his .891 save percentage was below the 50th percentile, allowing six goals on the 55 shots he faced. Šilovs also only had four games with a save percentage above .900, with only one of those coming between Games 5 and 7 of the second round. That being said, he did keep the Canucks in games longer than they should have been, which is all teams can hope from their goaltenders.
Related: Canucks Sign Artūrs Šilovs To Two-Year Extension
Now that Šilovs is the full-time backup, expectations are going to be higher next season. He will need to deliver strong performances continually and could be thrust into action more often than past backup goaltenders if Vancouver elects to limit Demko’s regular season games. In the end, though, the 23-year-old showed why Ian Clark was eager for the team to draft him in 2019, as Šilovs showed he has the potential to be a high-end goaltender in the NHL.
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