Artūrs Šilovs
Latvian ice hockey player (born 2001)
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Artūrs Šilovs (born 22 March 2001) is a Latvian professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Šilovs was drafted in the sixth round, 156th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks at the 2019 NHL entry draft, with whom he made his NHL debut in 2023. Playing with the Latvian national team, Šilovs played a central role in the country's first-ever medal at the World Championships in 2023.
| Artūrs Šilovs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Šilovs in 2023 | |||
| Born |
22 March 2001 Ventspils, Latvia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 208 lb (94 kg; 14 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Pittsburgh Penguins HS Rīga HK Mogo Vancouver Canucks | ||
| National team |
 Latvia | ||
| NHL draft |
156th overall, 2019 Vancouver Canucks | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Šilovs spent most of his Canucks tenure with the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Abbotsford, with whom he won a Calder Cup championship in 2025. Unable to secure a full-time NHL roster spot, he was traded to the Penguins months later.
Playing career
Šilovs started his hockey career with HS Rīga of the Optibet Hockey League.[1]
Vancouver Canucks
On 22 June 2019, Šilovs was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round, 156th overall, of the 2019 NHL entry draft.[2] On 27 June 2019, he was subsequently selected 11th overall by the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the 2019 CHL Import Draft.[3] Šilovs signed a contract with Vancouver on 23 August 2019.[4] In September 2019, he signed with Barrie for the 2019–20 OHL season.[5]
Šilovs began the 2020–21 season playing for HS Rīga and HK Mogo. On 19 January 2021, he was assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL).[6] He made his AHL debut for Manitoba on 27 February 2021.[7]
In the 2021–22 AHL season, he played for the Abbotsford Canucks, recording a .888 save percentage for the team in 10 games.[1]
Šilovs made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks on 15 February 2023, against the New York Rangers.[8] He finished the 2022–23 season playing five games for Vancouver and 44 games for Abbotsford, being named the team MVP for Abbotsford.[9]
Continuing to play primarily in Abbotsford through the 2023–24 season, Šilovs was called up to make his Stanley Cup playoffs debut following injuries to Vancouver's regular goaltenders, Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith, three games into the Canucks' first-round series against the Nashville Predators. On 28 April 2024, he started his first playoff game, stopping 27 of 30 shots and helping the Canucks to a 4–3 win.[10] Šilovs retained the net even after DeSmith's return to the roster, and on 3 May, he recorded his first playoff shutout in Vancouver's series-clinching game 6, a 1–0 win. He became the youngest goaltender in franchise history to earn a playoff shutout.[11] In July 2024, Šilovs signed a two-year contract extension with the Canucks.[12]
As the starting goaltender for the Abbotsford Canucks in the 2025 AHL playoffs, Šilovs led his team to a Calder Cup championship, winning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoffs MVP for his efforts.[13]
Pittsburgh Penguins
Prior to the start of the 2025–26 season, Šilovs was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick.[14] He was named the starting goaltender by new head coach Dan Muse ahead of the season opener against the New York Rangers. He went on to make 25 saves to earn his first regular season shutout in the eventual 3–0 win. In the process, Šilovs joined Maxime Lagacé as the only Penguins goaltenders to earn a shutout in their Pittsburgh debut and Marc-André Fleury as the second-ever goaltender to earn an opening-night shutout for the team.[15]
On 5 July 2026 as a restricted free agent, Šilovs signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract to avoid contract arbitration.[16]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Representing Latvia | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2023 Finland/Latvia | |
Šilovs made his international debut with Latvia under-18 team at the 2019 World U18 Championships, where his team placed eighth. Three years later, he accepted his first invitation to join the senior national team at the 2022 World Championship, where he played four games and recorded a .952 save percentage. He began the tournament as backup goaltender to Columbus Blue Jackets starter Elvis Merzļikins but was judged to have significantly outperformed Merzļikins during the tournament, and was given the start in the team's final game in the group stage. Latvia did not advance to the knockout rounds.[17]
After his strong showing at the 2022 championships, Šilovs rejoined the national team for the 2023 World Championship, which was jointly hosted by Latvia and Finland. Šilovs relieved goaltender Ivars Punnenovs early in the team's first game of the tournament, and thereafter started every game for Latvia, leading them on an unexpectedly deep run to the bronze medal game. There they defeated the heavily-favoured United States national team, winning the bronze medal, the first of any medals for Latvia at an IIHF World Championship.[18][19] Šilovs played 60 minutes more than any other goaltender in the tournament.[18] In recognition of his pivotal role in the team's success, he was named the championship's best goaltender and most valuable player (MVP) by the IIHF directorate, as well as to the Media All-Star Team.[20] Following the historic result, the Latvian Saeima declared a public holiday.[21] Šilovs later finished second in the voting for the inaugural IIHF Male Player of the Year award, behind Connor Bedard.[22]
Šilovs played in 2026 Winter Olympics for Latvia. He played in three of the four games Latvia played in the tournament, leading the nation to their fourth win all-time in Olympic tournaments with NHL players participating in their game against Germany.[23]
Personal life
Šilovs was born in Ventspils, Latvia. He learned to skate when he was three years old, playing forward at that time.[24][25] When he was six years old, he became a goaltender.[25] When he was ten years old, he moved to Riga.[25]
He married his wife, Vendija, on 23 August 2019, when he was 18.[26] The pair divorced in 2023.[27]
Public art was placed in downtown Riga in Šilovs' name after his world championship run.[28]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Bold indicates led league
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2017–18 | SK Rīga 17 | LHL.1 | 8 | — | — | — | 447 | 17 | 1 | 2.28 | — | 6 | — | — | 260 | 14 | 0 | 3.22 | — | ||
| 2018–19 | HK Riga | MHL | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 342 | 14 | 1 | 2.45 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | HS Rīga | LHL | 20 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 1,103 | 60 | 2 | 3.26 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Barrie Colts | OHL | 36 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 2,030 | 131 | 1 | 3.87 | .891 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HS Rīga | LHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 124 | 9 | 0 | 4.34 | .923 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HK Mogo | LHL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 234 | 10 | 0 | 2.56 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 2 | 0 | 2.07 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 542 | 28 | 1 | 3.10 | .888 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Trois-Rivières Lions | ECHL | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 609 | 24 | 1 | 2.37 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 44 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 2,554 | 104 | 4 | 2.44 | .909 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 126 | 6 | 0 | 2.85 | .914 | ||
| 2022–23 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 306 | 14 | 0 | 2.75 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 34 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 2,015 | 92 | 4 | 2.74 | .907 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 243 | 10 | 0 | 2.47 | .881 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 598 | 29 | 1 | 2.91 | .898 | ||
| 2024–25 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 543 | 33 | 0 | 3.65 | .861 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 21 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1,246 | 50 | 0 | 2.41 | .908 | 24 | 16 | 7 | 1,492 | 50 | 5 | 2.01 | .931 | ||
| 2025–26 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 39 | 19 | 12 | 8 | 2,247 | 115 | 2 | 3.07 | .888 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 197 | 5 | 0 | 1.52 | .939 | ||
| NHL totals | 58 | 27 | 20 | 10 | 3,338 | 172 | 2 | 3.09 | .886 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 796 | 34 | 1 | 2.56 | .907 | ||||
| LHL totals | 26 | 10 | 14 | 1 | 1,462 | 79 | 2 | 3.04 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Latvia | U18-IA | 11th | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 2 | 0 | 1.00 | .960 | |
| 2019 | Latvia | U18 | 8th | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 271 | 15 | 1 | 3.32 | .918 | |
| 2022 | Latvia | WC | 10th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 196 | 4 | 0 | 1.22 | .952 | |
| 2023 | Latvia | WC |  |
10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 601 | 22 | 1 | 2.20 | .921 | |
| 2026 | Latvia | OG | 10th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 140 | 7 | 0 | 3.01 | .873 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 391 | 17 | 1 | 2.61 | .932 | ||||
| Senior totals | 17 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 937 | 33 | 1 | 2.14 | .915 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | |||
| World Championship Best Goaltender | 2023 | [20] | |
| World Championship Media All-Star Team | 2023 | [20] | |
| World Championship MVP | 2023 | [20] | |
| AHL | |||
| Calder Cup | 2025 | [29] | |
| Jack A. Butterfield Trophy | 2025 | [29] | |
