Rookie Watch: 1st-year players having success after being traded

Arturs Silovs, G, Pittsburgh Penguins: The 24-year-old (6-4, 208) was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round (No. 156) of the 2019 NHL Draft and traded to the Penguins on July 13, 2025, for Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. He is 13-7-8 with a 2.75 GAA and .902 save percentage with one shutout in 28 games (all starts) for Pittsburgh. He also leads all rookie goalies with two points (two assists).

With Abbotsford of the American Hockey League in 2024-25, Silovs won the Calder Cup championship and was named playoff MVP after posting a 16-7 record, 2.01 goals-against average, and .931 save percentage. He was one of the first six players named to Team Latvia ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, finishing 1-1 with a 3.01 GAA and .872 save percentage in three games for his country. At the 2023 IIHF World Championship, he went 7-3-0 with a 2.20 GAA and a .921 save percentage and was awarded most valuable player and best goaltender, leading Latvia to the bronze medal.

“I’m just working hard,” Silovs said. “It’s hard to win in this League and everyone understands that. I think guys have been clicking really well. Having a goalie partner like (Stuart Skinner) has given confidence. I think we have pretty good chemistry, at practice we lift each other up, and the camaraderie is to the next level.”