Prospect Info: 156th overall: Vancouver selects Arturs Silovs (Goalie, Latvia ---> Barrie Colts)

MS

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Just watched the Latvia-US game from the U18s I still had on PVR to have a look at Silovs.

I suck at evaluating prospect goalies. But he seemed big and athletic with pretty quick feet. Seemed to over-commit sliding side to side at times and lost his net. Rebound control iffy. Made a couple nice poke-checks. Seems like there’s some talent there worth investing in anyway.
 

biturbo19

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Jul 13, 2010
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Looks like the OHL.





This is the kind of stuff that keeps so many fans in the dark on draft day. Knowing where a guy is going is important. Impacts so much of how you can shape their development. Silovs is a big ol' ball of clay to be shaped. With some decent instincts too.
 

VanJack

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Jul 11, 2014
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Canucks seem to pick a goalie in every draft....you'd have to think one of DiPietro, Keilly, Thiessen, Silovs or even Demko will end up being an impact goalie at the NHL-level.

One thing for sure---Canucks have one of the best prospect goalie depth charts in the entire league.
 

StreetHawk

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Sep 30, 2017
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Better to be a bit heavy in that position as you never know how kids develop.

Calgary got Gillies in 2012 in the 3rd round, MacDonald in 2014 ahead of Demko, Parsons in 2015 in round 2. None of them are expected to be in the nhl next season.

Thiessen is going to Maine this fall, so expect him to be there for 3 years. So, see who gets the AHL job after Dipietro hopefully graduates to the NHL down the line.
 
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F A N

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I'm surprised at the timing of the signing. There was no rush to sign him and the Canucks under Benning hasn't made it a habit to sign guys to ELCs right after the draft. They could of evaluated Silovs for an extra year before signing him and his ELC will still slide. I guess they really like him. To be fair, this is a low risk signing. Silvos has the tools for our goalie coaches to work with and develop.
 

VanJack

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I'm surprised at the timing of the signing. There was no rush to sign him and the Canucks under Benning hasn't made it a habit to sign guys to ELCs right after the draft. They could of evaluated Silovs for an extra year before signing him and his ELC will still slide. I guess they really like him. To be fair, this is a low risk signing. Silvos has the tools for our goalie coaches to work with and develop.
Since the guy's ticketed for the OHL next season, I assume his contract slides and doesn't count against the list of 50 contracts for the upcoming season? I'm also guessing that unlike NA drafted players, he could be moved to Utica or Kalamzoo next season after one season in junior?
 

timw33

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Since the guy's ticketed for the OHL next season, I assume his contract slides and doesn't count against the list of 50 contracts for the upcoming season? I'm also guessing that unlike NA drafted players, he could be moved to Utica or Kalamzoo next season after one season in junior?

Yep, you've got it. Slides, and could be assigned to AHL/ECHL at any time actually.
 

F A N

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Since the guy's ticketed for the OHL next season, I assume his contract slides and doesn't count against the list of 50 contracts for the upcoming season? I'm also guessing that unlike NA drafted players, he could be moved to Utica or Kalamzoo next season after one season in junior?

Yep, you've got it. Slides, and could be assigned to AHL/ECHL at any time actually.

Yes. What I was commenting on is the fact that if Silovs sucks his contract is going to slide for 2 years. Next year he will be playing in the OHL. Then what? If he shows well next season then no problem he's a goalie with potential. If he sucks it's another season in the OHL? Overseas? ECHL? Someone mentioned Mason McDonald who was drafted before Demko. He was signed after his draft + 1 year but he spent his draft +1 and +2 seasons in the juniors then 3 years in the ECHL. If Silovs sucks next season you're likely looking at a 4 year contract for a goalie who will never be an AHL starter. Of course if he performs well next season there's no issue. He has all the tools for our goalie coaches to develop like I said.
 
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MS

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I'm surprised at the timing of the signing. There was no rush to sign him and the Canucks under Benning hasn't made it a habit to sign guys to ELCs right after the draft. They could of evaluated Silovs for an extra year before signing him and his ELC will still slide. I guess they really like him. To be fair, this is a low risk signing. Silvos has the tools for our goalie coaches to work with and develop.

Agreed. It’s a very strange signing.

6th rounders are basically never signed immediately after the draft and this is an even riskier 6th rounder than most as a Latvian goalie. We have no idea what to expect next year.

In Benning’s first 4 drafts we only signed 3/9 6th-7th rounders and one of those was the inexplicable Stewart signing. Most players in this range don’t end up deserving a contract 2 years down the road, so why we’d sign this guy without seeing how he adjusts to the CHL first is just ... weird.
 

timw33

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Yes. What I was commenting on is the fact that if Silovs sucks his contract is going to slide for 2 years. Next year he will be playing in the OHL. Then what? If he shows well next season then no problem he's a goalie with potential. If he sucks it's another season in the OHL? Overseas? ECHL? Someone mentioned Mason McDonald who was drafted before Demko. He was signed after his draft + 1 year but he spent his draft +1 and +2 seasons in the juniors then 3 years in the ECHL. If Silovs sucks next season you're likely looking at a 4 year contract for a goalie who will never be an AHL starter. Of course if he performs well next season there's no issue. He has all the tools for our goalie coaches to develop like I said.

It's very strange for sure, we have a full two years to evaluate whether he's worth the contract spot and at this point he's a total unknown in NA. All you can do is shrug.
 

VanJack

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It's very strange for sure, we have a full two years to evaluate whether he's worth the contract spot and at this point he's a total unknown in NA. All you can do is shrug.
All I can assume that as a 'signed player', Silovs will now be at the upcoming Canucks training camp. And they can get a longer look at him against pro shooters. Still a chance he could end up in Kalamazoo or Utica after only a year of junior in Barrie.

When you look at the Canucks goaltending depth, three current depth guys McIntyre, Keilly and Bachman are basically on 'one year' agreements, with all three becoming UFA's next July 1st. Bachman is gone for sure; and Keilly likely spends most of the year in the ECHL, so he's a bubble guy as well. And McIntyre? Who knows? Probably needs a big year in the AHL to secure another deal.

And of course Markstrom will need a new deal next July 1st or he could become a UFA So I suppose it's possible that by next spring, the Canucks goaltending depth could be down to Demko, DiPietro and Sliovs, with Thiessen un-signed and still in college. It could go from 'bloated' to 'thin' very quickly.
 

krutovsdonut

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maybe this changes his status to avoid the chl restriction against assigning him to the ahl before he is 20?
 

MS

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All I can assume that as a 'signed player', Silovs will now be at the upcoming Canucks training camp. And they can get a longer look at him against pro shooters. Still a chance he could end up in Kalamazoo or Utica after only a year of junior in Barrie.

When you look at the Canucks goaltending depth, three current depth guys McIntyre, Keilly and Bachman are basically on 'one year' agreements, with all three becoming UFA's next July 1st. Bachman is gone for sure; and Keilly likely spends most of the year in the ECHL, so he's a bubble guy as well. And McIntyre? Who knows? Probably needs a big year in the AHL to secure another deal.

And of course Markstrom will need a new deal next July 1st or he could become a UFA So I suppose it's possible that by next spring, the Canucks goaltending depth could be down to Demko, DiPietro and Sliovs, with Thiessen un-signed and still in college. It could go from 'bloated' to 'thin' very quickly.

Silovs would have been at camp anyway, same as any other unsigned CHL draft pick.

This literally changes nothing and nothing is gained from it.
 
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timw33

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Not sure how ELC payouts work, but maybe he needed the signing bonus to make his transition smoother, and or help out his family in Latvia

Do you get the signing bonus (typically $92,500) if the contract slides though?
 

F A N

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Yeah, signing bonuses are still paid even if the contract slides.

The best reasoning for the contract that I've seen is to encourage him to play for Barrie and discourage him from signing a KHL contract with Riga.

It looks like Barrie hasn't had a goalie of note since Mackenzie Blackwood. Their director of goaltending is HHOFer Billy Smith.
 
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