Welcome back to CanucksArmy’s top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings. We’re getting close to the finish line, as we hit our third-highest-ranked prospect and our third-ranked netminder.

Enjoy it now, because this is likely the final version of our rankings in which you will see this kid’s name.

Arturs Šilovs put himself on the map in May 2023 after he backstopped Latvia to their first medal in IIHF World Championship history. Sporting a 2-2-0 record with a stellar 1.22 goals against average and .952 save percentage, he secured a Bronze Medal for his home country.

Oh, and he took home tournament MVP.

While he may have been well-known to those closely following the Vancouver Canucks, as a sixth-round pick, he did not cast much of a worldwide buzz until that run. From there, the Arty Party was in full force.

Heading into the 2023-24 season, Šilovs was the undisputed “guy” in Abbotsford. Although, with the signing of Nikita Tolopilo, he would find that role difficult to hold on to for long.

While the Latvian netminder was good out the gate, winning seven of 10 starts, he wasn’t great throughout the year. He would experience bouts of inconsistent play and even lost the “starting job” to his tandem partner in stretches of the season. Of course, given the back-to-back nature of the AHL, it’s difficult to peg either goalie with outright reins.

When all was said and done, his numbers dropped in nearly every statistic from his stellar 2022-23 season. With 10 fewer starts (34), he finished with a 16-11-6 record, 2.74 goals against, a .907 save percentage and four shutouts. Aside from his four shutouts, none of his numbers finished noteworthy amongst AHL starting netminders.

He was forced to figure things out quickly come spring, however. After injuries to both of Vancouver’s goaltenders, Šilovs was tossed into the deep end. Suddenly, despite having started just nine NHL games prior, he found himself as the starting goaltender for the Canucks during an important playoff stretch — their first real run in nearly a decade.

Believe it or not, much like he did for Latvia, he stepped up to the stage and delivered an incredible performance. In 10 games started, he sported a 5-5-0 record and came up under huge pressure to come one goal shy of a Western Conference Final appearance. The run included a tremendous 28-save (1-0) shutout in game six of the first round against the Nashville Predators, where he became the youngest netminder in franchise history to record a shutout in the playoffs and the first rookie goalie to record a series-clinching win.

While he ultimately fell short against two of the top players in the world and the Edmonton Oilers, it was a monumental few weeks for the now 23-year-old. Enough so, that he gained the trust of the organization and inked a two-year deal that will undoubtedly make him Vancouver’s backup netminder for the immediate future.

“Artūrs helped a lot when called upon last year as he continues to grow and develop,” Allvin said in a statement. “We expect him to battle for a full-time position with the big club. Our group will help sharpen his skills and provide all the tools to take another step in his young career.”

It’s an interesting spot to be in. If you asked us before the playoff run, we likely would have told you he could still use some time growing in Abbotsford. After all, he didn’t blow the American League away. Yet, his ability to step and play meaningful NHL minutes put that thinking to shame. With the thought of Ian Clark taking him under his direct wing on a day-to-day basis, we have drunk the “NHL-ready” Kool-Aid. At least, in a backup NHL-ready capacity.

The important piece to all of this boils down to game action. Wherever the landing spot, nothing is more important for his development than playing games. Given his waiver-exempt status, there could be an interesting dynamic where he drops down to Abbotsford to slide in for a game or two during long-winded home stands.

Whatever it takes, as long as he’s playing games.

When he’s playing his top game, Šilovs is an athletic beast and extremely mentally strong. He rarely seems to allow bad games, or goals, to get him down and shows up to the rink with a positive attitude in the locker room — which is not to be overlooked.

One of his main deficiencies, which we’ve now seen at both the AHL and NHL levels, continues to be his tracking ability. He’s a menace when skaters are in tight, but as soon as shots begin to ring out from a distance, he seems to have trouble finding them through traffic. Heck, he even allowed a clean centre-ice goal midway through his season in Abbotsford.

Additionally, he tends to lose his net in scrambles. It’s not that he’s bad with his rebound control, quite the contrary, but once things get a little hectic in front, he has shown to, for lack of a better term, flop around. That was at least evident down on the farm. During his time in Vancouver, there was less of that happening, and you could sense the daily work he had been putting in with Ian Clark.

“You can tell Clarkie has been working with him,” Tocchet told Postmedia. “He’s not sliding all over the place. He’s not flopping, he is there for the second shot. You can tell. That is when you know the goalie is listening, and you’ve got a mature goalie – when he is there for the second shot and he’s not out of the net.”

The young netminder has the confidence of his entire team, and more importantly, the coaching staff. NHL backup or not, there are still kinks to be worked out. Yet, as a homegrown Ian Clark talent, we love the way that he is tracking.

Ceiling: If there were questions before, he’s silenced them. At his best, he’s an NHL starter. The package isn’t quite complete — is it ever, really? — but he’s on a strong trajectory to slide in as Thatcher Demko’s successor.

Floor: Sure, there is an off chance that Šilovs blossoms into a run-of-the-mill “tweener.” From what we’ve seen during his time within the organization, he feels like a safe bet to carve out a legitimate backup career. The positives in his game far outweigh the deficiencies, which can all be ironed out with more work with the goalie guru himself.

ETA: He’s there. He’s living it right now. With a two-year, waiver-exempt contract in hand, he could see a few back-and-fourths in the upcoming year. However, the backup job feels like Arturs Šilovs’ to lose, and he is now on his way to working toward that NHL ceiling.