Building A Legacy: It's All In The Details For Arturs Silovs

Arturs Silovs has been riding a high this summer after making history at the IIHF World Championship in May. The 22-year-old backstopped Latvia to a first-ever top three finish, beating Team USA in overtime for the bronze medal. He was awarded MVP of the tournament, the first time this honour was bestowed on a Latvian player at an IIHF tournament, and the fifth time it was awarded to a goaltender since 1999.

"It felt incredible winning the first medal for our country in ice hockey, it's unbelievable," Silovs said. "We had a tight group, we managed to battle through and score late goals helping us clinch the group stage, which actually was the most important thing at having a chance to win a medal."

Latvians changed the lyrics in The Beatles song "She Loves You" to Silovs you following his performance at the World Championships. This interview was the first he heard of it, but the smile across his face said it all.

"It always is an honour to represent the country. When you have an opportunity to play, I think you should go because it's a different experience. When you play for your club, you represent your country by yourself, but when you play for your national team, with guys from your country, you're defending the legacy and the pride," he said.

He played 601 minutes through 10 games, handling the pressure of a nation on his shoulders. The first two games were tough - losing 6-0 to Canada and 2-1 to Slovakia - but Latvia rattled off five wins to finish group play. He leaned into his role on the team, feeling more comfortable each game.

"I felt like my team was trusting me more with each game because there were times to prove that. I think that being calm and making easy saves gave confidence to our players to know I have their back and I know they have my back. I feel like all that energy exchange gave us an emotional boost. We played in Riga as well and all the fans were chanting for us, which was unbelievable. I think it's because of all those things together why we managed to achieve what we did," Silovs said.

In the bronze medal game, he stopped 26 of 29 shots, finding solutions in split seconds facing tough situations. For some, getting lost in the details and minutia can be a hinderance, but for Silovs, paying attention to the details is what makes him great. He looks for player tendencies in playmaking, shooting, and passing, mindful that every time there's a whistle, he's buying time for his teammates.

"You have to always understand that every single shot is an opportunity, especially in the second period. Guys are tired, they need a change, or they need a better matchup. I think it's the small details during the game that play a big role. A stop gives us more opportunities to score, defend, and hold our ground," he said.

Last season with Abbotsford fans voted him MVP; he took on the primary starting position in December, posted a .909 save percentage and helped the team to the Calder Cup Pacific Division Semifinals. In five games with Vancouver, he kept a consistent save rate of .908, and a week after Abby's playoff run ended Silovs went on to earn a .921 save percentage in the IIHF tournament.

"It gives me confidence, getting a boost that I can play a higher level of hockey. I just need to keep working hard, working on my details and what I want to improve and just wait for my opportunity."

He knew last season was a building block.

It was a slower start than he'd hoped, but he knew he could be better and, similarly to his play at the World Championship, his confidence and chemistry with the team grew each game.

For the upcoming season he's set a goal to understand the game and player tendencies on a deeper level. He learned a lot at the World Championship, and the five games he played with Vancouver last season introduced him to a new read and react standard on a nightly basis.

"NHL guys are more skilled, they're really creative, they can do things you couldn't even imagine. Playing in the NHL gave me an understanding of that. Knowing 'this player is more of a creative playmaker, more of a passer or more of a shooter' gives you a broader horizon of the game," he said.

Silovs is back in Vancouver getting workouts in and enjoying the nice weather in his downtime. He wanted to come back to Vancouver early to get into a rhythm before the season starts. It's more than just hammering out workouts, he says it's nice to see his teammates again after a long summer.

"Saying good morning, asking how things are going is really important, it's the small things, but you build on them every single day," he said.

It's when those small moments compound and come together that big things happen.