Silovs perfect in relief of Merzlikins in 2022 World Championship debut

Vancouver Canucks prospect @Arturs Silovs made his first appearance at the 2022 IIHF World Championship on Thursday.

The 21-year-old goaltender replaced Team Latvia starting goaltender @Elvis Merzlikins after the first period of what was ultimately a 5–1 loss to Team Czechia.

Merzlikins, 28, allowed five goals on 17 shots in the opening 20 minutes of play at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland. Team Latvia trailed 5–0 after the fisrt period.

After entering the game, Silovs only faced 11 shots in the final 40 minutes. The 2019 sixth-round draft selection kept the Czechs off the board the rest of the way, with Latvia defender Arturs Kulda scoring in the third period to end @Karel Vejmelka’s shutout bid.

Merzlikins was credited with the loss for the Latvians; Vejmelka stopped 16 of 17 shots in the win for Team Czechia.

Silovs has previously represented Latvia as a junior player on numerous occasions. The 2022 World Championship is Silovs’ first IIHF tournament since turning professional.

The Riga product appeared in 20 professional games — 10 in the AHL, 10 in the ECHL — in the Canucks organization in 2021–22, his first full campaign against his three-year entry-level contract.

In 10 games with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks this season, Silovs posted a 3–6–0 record and an .888 save percentage. Through 40 minutes at the 2022 Worlds, Silovs remains at a 1.000 SV%.

With just one win in their first four games at the tournament, Team Latvia will return to action on Friday at Nokia Arena to take on Team Austria.