Building an Olympian
Arturs Silovs Shares Approach that Led to Milan
- Arturs Silovs is one of only six Latvian goalies to play in the NHL, joining Elvis Merzlikins and Kristers Gudlevskis at the Olympics.
- Silovs emphasizes actively watching hockey — studying reads and creative plays — as a core part of his development and game-day preparation.
- Study specific goalie styles by watching NHL games without team loyalty, focusing purely on technique and reads you can steal for your own game.
- Silovs built his resume through consistent development: 45 NHL games, a 10-game playoff run with Vancouver, a World Championships MVP, and a 2025 Calder Cup MVP.
- Growing up watching Dinamo Riga and Arturs Irbe before transitioning to NHL study — including Andrei Vasilevskiy — shows how goalie film study should evolve with your level.
Arturs Silovs first appearance on the InGoal Radio Podcast came shortly after his second NHL game — and first win — a 37-save performance against the Philadelphia Flyers.
With it, he joined an exclusive club of six Latvian goalies to play an NHL game.
“I actually really didn’t know that but it’s always a great feeling,” Silovs said then. “Not too many players from Latvia have played in the NHL and it’s a big honor, honoring my own country.”
It’s an honor that now includes representing Latvia in the Olympics alongside two of the other six goalies to play in the NHL: Elvis Merzlikins of Columbus and Kristers Gudlevskis, former Tampa Bay Lightning and currently of the DEL’s Bremerhaven Penguins.
Silovs shared insights into his path to last week’s Olympic debut. The 24-year-old explained how he prepares on game days and continues to build on a system that has seen him play 45 NHL regular season games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks, as well as a memorable 10-game playoff run with the Canucks in 2024, a World Championships MVP and bronze medal run with Latvia in 2023, and a Calder Cup AHL championship as MVP in 2025.
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