The Vancouver Canucks have called up goalie Arturs Silovs to help replace the injured Thatcher Demko. The 22-year-old goalie is now listed on the team’s official roster.
The team made the announcement today as they prepare to play the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow. They also revealed that forward Dakota Joshua has retroactively been placed on LTIR.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that F Dakota Joshua has been placed on LTIR retroactively and G Arturs Silovs has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL) under emergency conditions.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 12, 2024
The Latvian goaltender has played 33 AHL games for the Abbotsford Canucks so far this season, putting up a record of 15-11-6 with a save percentage of .907%, a goals-against-average of 2.74, and four shutouts.
He was originally acquired by the club during the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
Silovs does have some NHL experience from previous call ups. He’s played five career games, all during the 2022-23 season. The 22-year-old finished those games with a 3-2 record, a .908 save percentage, and a goals-against-average of 2.75.
The goalie captured the attention of the hockey world last spring when he backstopped Latvia to its first-ever medal at the IIHF World Championships. He was named tournament MVP for his efforts.
The Canucks have eight games left in March. All of those contests will be played at Rogers Arena and there are no back-to-backs, meaning that there may not be many opportunities for Silovs to start.
It was revealed yesterday that Demko will miss a few weeks with a knee injury. The goalie left the Canucks’ recent 5-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets midway through the contest.
Demko has been one of the NHL’s best goalies so far this season. He leads the league with 34 wins and also ranks in the top 10 for save percentage and goals-against-average. The American is expected to contend for the Vezina Trophy awarded to the league’s best goaltender.
Casey DeSmith will now assume the starter role for the Canucks. He performed admirably in relief of Demko against the Jets, making 10 saves en route to a joint shutout. DeSmith has a record of 8-4-5 and has provided some solid backup goaltending when called upon so far this season.
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