In advance of the Calgary Flames’ final game of their lengthy six game road trip – and their final game before Friday’s trade deadline – they’ve made a roster move. On Thursday morning, the club announced that they’ve assigned defenceman Ilya Solovyov to the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers.

The 24-year-old Solovyov is a left shot defenceman who’s in his fourth year in the Flames’ system. He was originally called up back on Feb. 19 and he got into four games during this call-up, playing a game on the second pairing alongside Rasmus Andersson (prior to Kevin Bahl’s return) and three games on the third pairing with Brayden Pachal. However, he was a spectator over the past couple of games, and with the Flames carrying eight blueliners prior to his assignment, trimming down the number of paid spectators – especially young ones like Solovyov – makes sense.

So far this season, Solovyov has one assist in five NHL games with the Flames and 21 points in 43 AHL games with the Wranglers. Presuming that Solovyov isn’t called back up in the next 24 hours, this move will ensure he remains eligible to play for the Wranglers for the remainder of their season – the regular season and potentially playoffs as well.

Originally a seventh-round pick by the Flames way back in 2020, he’s quietly emerged as one of the organization’s most reliable defensive defenders. (He’s in the first season of a two year deal he signed last summer.) He’s become something akin to a safety blanket for the Wranglers, playing a ton of tough minutes alongside whoever needs a boost to the defensive side of their game. While he’s been up with the Flames the Wranglers have struggled a bit, so hopefully his return helps that group right the ship.

This move drops the Flames’ active roster to 22 players: two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards. They have one open roster spot.

The Flames close out their road trip on Thursday night in Dallas. The Wranglers return to action on Saturday afternoon against the Manitoba Moose.