When Jim Benning selected Latvian goaltender Arturs Silovs with the 156th overall pick in the sixth round, no one was really sure what his ceiling could be, but now after an incredible IIHF World Championship, there's a possibility he could become the Canucks' full-time back-up as early as next season.
Silovs came into the tournament as Latvia's back-up goaltender, but was thrusted into action just five minutes into their opening game against Canada after Ivars Punnenovs allowed two goals. Ever since that moment, Silovs took the reigns as Latvia's starter and guided them to the semi-finals for the first time in the nation's history, but they ultimately lost to Canada. They'll still have an opportunity to take home some hardware as they'll play in the Bronze Medal Game on Sunday morning.
After the semi-final loss, the Latvian Hockey Federation recognized the three best players on the team during the tournament and for his efforts, Silovs was named as one of those three players.
