Vancouver Canucks call up goaltender Arturs Silovs from AHL Abbotsford

The Vancouver Canucks have called up Arturs Silovs from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. General manager Patrik Allvin made the announcement ahead of Canucks practice late Tuesday morning.

The Canucks are expected to be without star netminder Thatcher Demko for the next 2-4 weeks with a reported knee injury, meaning the Canucks will be looking to lock down first place in the Western Conference and overall NHL standings with a heavy dose of Casey DeSmith.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t have a backup in the interim. The 22-year-old Silovs has a 15-11-6 record and a .907 save percentage in 33 AHL games with the Abbotsford Canucks this season.

In a corresponding move, the Canucks have placed forward Dakota Joshua on long-term injured reserve retroactive to February 13, when he played his last game. Joshua has 13 goals and 26 points in 53 games with the Canucks this season.

The Canucks are currently on a four-game winning streak and look closer to their old selves defensively than they did in the month of February. They’re currently a full 10 points up on the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division.

They’ve allowed just three goals against in their last four games and most recently shut out the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. Casey DeSmith made 10 saves on all 10 shots he faced in that game in relief of Thatcher Demko, who exited in the second period.

The Canucks originally selected Silovs in the sixth round (No. 156 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The Riga, Latvia product made his NHL debut with the Canucks in the 2022-23 season, going 3-2-0 with a .908 save percentage in his first five appearances.

It seems like it’ll be Silovs and DeSmith for the next little while in Vancouver. For his own part, DeSmith is 8-4-5 with one shutout and a .900 save percentage in 19 games with the Canucks this season.

The Canucks currently occupy first place in the Pacific Division (and are tied for second place in the league) with a 42-17-7 record and a +56 goal differential in 66 games this season. They’ll return to action at Rogers Arena on Wednesday evening to take on the Colorado Avalanche at 7:30 p.m. PT.