By Andrew Phillip Chernoff CanucksBanter
Arturs Silovs (G, Latvia) is one of 7-players chosen as a finalist for the IIHF’s 2022-23 Male Hockey Player of the Year.
Silovs made his NHL debut this past season, appearing in five games for the Vancouver Canucks, sporting a 3-2 record and 2.75 GAA. He played most of the season with the team’s farm club in the AHL, Abbotsford, where he had a 26-12 record.
Silovs became a finalist for his stellar and exceptional play at the recently completed 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship.
Silovs carried off three pieces of hardware from Tampere at the IIHF 2023 World HockeyChampionship, and rightly so.
The 22-year-old was named the tournament MVP, IIHF Directorate Award Best Goalie, and the goaltender for the Media All-Star Team. He also appeared in every game for Latvia, his 601:00 total minutes played second all time for one IIHF WM event, and he was key to Latvia winning the bronze medal, the country’s first medal in any top-level IIHF event ever. Silovs had a save percentage of .921 and a GAA of 2.20, winning seven games.
Other finalists include, (in alphabetical order): Andres Ambuhl (F, Switzerland), Connor Bedard (F, Canada), Adam Fantilli (F, Canada), Dominik Kubalik (F, Czechia), JJ Peterka (F, Germany), and Moritz Seider (D, Germany).
The voting will take place among Media and invited members of the IIHF Family, and the winner will be announced on Monday, 19 June. Voters are not limited to these seven candidates, and if anyone feels another player is more deserving, that name can be “written in” on the ballot.
This is the first year for this trophy, and Hilary Knight has already been named Female Player of the Year by receiving nearly 41 per cent of all votes in that category.
Both winners will be awarded their trophy in person by IIHF delegates, the larger version of which will be housed permanently at the Hockey Hall of Fame and a smaller version for the player to keep. The candidates are chosen based on players who best exemplify exceptional skill, determination, team success, and sporting character on and off the ice during the preceding season.
The Male Player of the Year must have competed in at least one IIHF tournament this past season (IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, IIHF World Junior Championship, IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship) as well as in a domestic league of the highest calibre for that country, the combined performances of which were deemed superior to all other players.
International Ice Hockey Federation
Source: IIHF