Ilya Solovyov has been in the Calgary Flames organization since before the Calgary Wranglers were a team. His breakout season was in the 2023-24 season, where he not only made his NHL debut but also managed to stay up at that level for 10 games. The 2024-25 season was a test for him to see if he had what it took to stay at the NHL level and he had a new contract to back that possibility.

Solovyov is a 25 year old left-handed shot defenceman who was drafted by the Flames in the seventh round, 205th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He came to North America for his first pro season with the Stockton Heat in 2021-22 and played in 51 games with the Flames’ AHL affiliate that year and put up eight points. 

His next season was his first full season with the Wranglers when they made their move to Calgary. He played in 68 games and more than doubled his rookie production with 18 points, consisting of four goals and 14 assists. The next year, he played in 51 games with the Wranglers, putting up 15 points and earned an NHL debut with the Flames on Oct. 26, 2023. He played in nine other games in the NHL that season and put up three assists. 

2024-25 expectations

After Solovyov’s showings in the 2023-24 season for the Flames, he was expected to be at an NHL level for at least half of the season. It was even factored into his contract. Ilya Solovyov was put on a two-year deal that was a two-way in his first year and a one-way in his second. This signing came on Sept. 18 and provided that extra spark of motivation to try and crack that opening roster. 

The Wranglers were not out of the picture as far as options go, but the goal was to get back to the NHL and stay there. He was projected to have a season that would transition him into a full-time NHLer for the second half of his contract. 

2024-25 results

Prior to the first game of the NHL season, Solovyov was dealt unexpected news. He did not make the team. In fact, he was cut before the end of September and placed on waivers. Once he cleared, he was assigned to the Wranglers and started the year in the AHL. 

He ended up playing 59 games with the Wranglers and had a career year with six goals and 22 assists for a total of 28 points. He also played in one of the two playoff games but did not register any points. He did still get some time in the NHL last season but not as much as he expected. His first game of the season in the NHL wasn’t until February 8th against the Seattle Kraken. He ended up playing in five games between then and March 1st. He had one assist in that time against the Washington Capitals on February 25th. 

In the AHL, he was mostly paired up with Jarred Tinordi (while he was healthy) and Jonathan Aspirot. He’d also pull some extra shifts when they ran with an 11 forward and seven defender system when forward depth was limited. He was consistently the Wranglers’ top line pairing and while ice time isn’t tracked on public statistic boards in the AHL, he was pulling the most weight on the defensive side of things.