Penguins add goalie Arturs Silovs in trade with Vancouver

Canucks get 4th round pick and AHL player from the Pens in exchange for 6’4” Latvian goalie

The Penguins added to their goalie depth by trading with Vancouver for Arturs Silovs.

From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired goaltender Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.

Silovs, 24, is signed through the 2025-26 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $850,000.

Silovs is coming off a career season with the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League where he led the team to the Calder Cup Championship as Playoff MVP. In 21 regular-season games with Abbotsford last season, the goaltender went 14-5-2 with a .908 save percentage and career-best 2.41 goals-against average. On the team’s run to their first Calder Cup, Silovs compiled a 16-7 record in 24 games with a 2.01 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. His five shutouts in the playoffs were one shy of the AHL all-time record in one playoff run, and he became just the fourth goaltender to be named the Playoff MVP.

In parts of five AHL seasons with Abbotsford and Manitoba, the goaltender has played 110 games and compiled a 59-35-13 record with a 2.58 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and nine shutouts. In 26 career Calder Cup Playoff games, Silovs has gone 17-8 with a 2.08 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and five shutouts.

The 6-foot-4, 203-pound goaltender has played in parts of three seasons with Vancouver, playing in 19 games with a 3.13 goals-against average and .880 save percentage since 2022. He suited up for 10 games with the team last season.

The Riga, Latvia native has represented his home country on several different occasions, including the World Championship (2023 & ’22) and the 2018 World Under-18 Championship. Most recently at the 2023 World Championship, he led his team to the bronze medal by going 7-3-0 with a 2.20 goals-against average and .921 save percentage and was subsequently awarded the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and Best Goaltender, as well as named to the First All-Star Team.

Silovs was originally drafted in the sixth round (156^th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft by Vancouver.

Stillman, 22, is a “prospect” in name only — the former 2021 first round pick only managed one goal and two assists in 19 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre after coming to the organization in the trade that sent Cody Glass to New Jersey.

That makes Silovs the major piece of the puzzle and an interesting one for the Pens. Pittsburgh traded backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic earlier in the summer to San Jose but now add a depth goalie right back into the mix.

Silovs, 24, is most known at this point for the 10 NHL playoff games he was pressed into service for Vancouver back in 2024. He did fairly decent with a 5-5 record, though his save percentage of .898% and GAA of 2.91 wasn’t extremely impressive. Similarly, in the NHL regular season Silovs has an 8-8-2 record with a .880 save% and GAA of 3.19. Not terribly encouraging, though he did just post a .924 save% and 16-7 record to help lead Abbotsford to the AHL’s Calder Cup.

If nothing else that should lend some competition for Joel Blomqvist as to who will break camp with the NHL club when training camp ends. Pittsburgh hasn’t done a ton in trying to upgrade their roster, and Silovs’ spotty NHL track record may not be a major upgrade but it’s at least giving an opportunity and chance to possibly improve the team if he is able to build off his AHL championship run in the NHL.