The Calgary Flames announced on Wednesday morning that they have recalled defenceman Ilya Solovyov from the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers.

Solovyov, 24, has continued to rise in the Flames pool, especially after playing in his first National Hockey League game last season. He played 10 games and tallied three assists for the Flames before returning to the AHL and finishing out a successful season in which he posted 15 points in 51 games but was as reliable as anyone on the backend.

This season with the Wranglers, Solovyov has taken another step up. The left-handed Belarusian defender has already reached a career-high 21 points in 41 games with a +18. EliteProspects project him to finish with 35 points in 68 AHL games while also reaching the double-digit goal plateau.

Solovyov’s call-up wasn’t exactly a surprise following his abysmal defensive (and overall) performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the previous game. The Flames had countless turnovers from both forwards and defencemen, and even though he might not seem as important, it’s clear that not having Kevin Bahl is affecting the team defensively.

With Bahl being out of the lineup (but skating, along with Connor Zary also hitting the ice), and the Flames having one of the sloppiest efforts against the Leafs, why not call up a young player who has more than earned his time in the NHL? Solovyov plays a similar style to Bahl — big, defence-focused, but able to move the puck — and it’s not as if any of the players on the current blue line (outside of MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson) are proving themselves to be consistently deserving of a spot.

After his impressive 10-game performance in the NHL last season and his continuance of improvement in the AHL this season, Solovyov deserved a call-up. And after a porous game on all fronts from the Flames, there wasn’t a better time for Solovyov to join the team.