Competition in the Crease

Arturs Silovs had to laugh when asked about being the veteran amongst the goaltenders vying for playing time in Pittsburgh at this year’s training camp, with 22-year-old Sergei Murashov and 24-year-old Joel Blomqvist included in the mix.

“Yeah, well, I guess that's good,” Silovs said with a smile.

He is coming off what was technically his rookie season in the NHL, and his first with the Penguins after they acquired the 25-year-old from the Vancouver Canucks organization, where Silovs had shown a lot of potential.

The 2019 sixth-round draft pick had led the Abbotsford Canucks to the 2025 Calder Cup Championship as Playoff MVP; did well after being thrown into the fire during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with Vancouver; and was named MVP of the 2023 World Championship while backstopping Latvia to bronze.

Silovs just needed more opportunity to work through the challenges every young goalie faces, and he got that here in Pittsburgh, platooning mainly with Tristan Jarry to start, then Stuart Skinner.

There were certainly ups and downs, particularly when it came to shootouts. But Silovs finished strong in the playoffs, making big saves in big moments to help the Penguins try to claw their way out of a 3-0 series deficit to the Flyers.

While the Penguins ultimately fell in six games, President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas said he was encouraged by Silovs’ performance.

“I think he continues to show when the lights are bright and the moments are big, that he’s able to step up and provide very strong goaltending,” Dubas said. “I thought that was a real positive for him.”

When it comes to what Silovs took away from playing a career-high 39 games, it was deepening his knowledge about the League, its teams and its players.

“I just think the more you play, the more you understand every team, the way they play,” Silovs said. “And then you learn more about the players, how they play, their playing style. I think it's just how much skill every team has. You have to be always aware. They can do something unexpected. Most of the times, I just think the skill bar is so high, you just have to be aware. I think that's it.”

Silovs dealt with a knee issue over the last 3-4 weeks of the season, and he had to adjust his offseason training. He stayed in Pittsburgh until early July before returning to his native Latvia. Silovs came back in mid-August feeling about 90%, and by the end of August, he was at 100%.

“I feel great,” Silovs said. “I feel like, comparing to last year, I think I’m more mature, I would say. I think you already know what to expect. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. There's so many games, and it's just one day at a time. I like to say there’s no past, no future, just the present.”

Like Silovs, Murashov performed well in a playoff environment, starting all 15 of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s games in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He posted a 2.11 goals-against average and .931 save percentage as WBS advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a decade.

Checking in with Penguins Director of Minor League Operations and WBS Assistant GM Amanda Kessel during that run, she was impressed by Murashov’s mindset and consistency. Murashov doesn’t allow many weak goals, and he rarely struggles in back-to-back games.

“Every single day, he does everything possible to be the best, and he's just dialed in every drill, practice,” she said. “I think he instills a lot of confidence in the rest of the team to go out and do what they need to do, and that he's gonna be there to back them up.”

There is a ton of excitement surrounding Murashov and his potential, with the body of work he’s put together in two North American professional seasons spent mainly in the American Hockey League. His numbers are dazzling, his cerebral and joyful personality is endearing. Erik Karlsson called Murashov a talented young kid that has all the potential in the world.

As for Murashov’s mentality amidst all of that, he just tries to focus on the most important part of his job.

“It's pretty simple, stop the puck,” Murashov said with a smile before turning serious. “It's actually like, 10 years ago, I was doing everything to get to the NHL. Five years ago, last year, this offseason, everything I do is just get to the NHL. And like, I don't have to change anything. I don't need to do anything extra. I just have my set of points I do every day, and let's see where it takes me. But in general, just day by day, and stay present as always.”

Though Murashov’s star has started to take off, Dubas has said not to forget Blomqvist, who came to North America in the 2023-24 season and has built a solid body of work of his own.

“We don't ever forget that he accomplished a ton in 23-24 in the American League as the First Team All-Rookie goaltender, and really the best young goaltender in the league that season,” said Dubas, who signed Blomqvist to a two-year contract during the summer. “And that earned him a recall here. It's just been trying to get the health part back into form.”

After playing 15 NHL games to start the 2024-25 season, Blomqvist spent the entire 2025-26 campaign in WBS. It got off to a tough start, as Blomqvist was sidelined early with an injury.

“I felt like I was a little bit of a step behind when I started back playing,” he said. “But it was great being with Sergei. Just pushed each other, and I felt like I improved a lot and grew during the season.”

This summer, Blomqvist focused on strengthening his hips to prevent future injury and be ready for training camp when it started.

“I want to make the impression that I deserve a spot here on the team, so that's been the goal the whole time,” Blomqvist said.

Penguins Assistant GM Jason Spezza, who is also WBS GM, said looking at the bigger picture, they have two very capable young goalies pushing to be in Pittsburgh with Murashov and Blomqvist.

“I don’t think it’s fair to anoint one over the other because Joel is a very competitive guy as well and has come here and wants to prove he can be an NHL goalie,” Spezza said. “It doesn’t mean whoever is here on the first day of the season is how it’s going to be all throughout. They’re young players. We have to make sure we’re monitoring their development, whether it’s goalies, forwards, defensemen. And that’s what we’re going to do. If somebody takes it, runs and stays, that’s really good news for the Pittsburgh Penguins.”