Flames select Ilya Solovyov at 205th overall

The Calgary Flames have completed their final pick at the 2020 NHL Draft. With their seventh round pick, 205th overall, they have selected Belarusian defenseman Ilya Solovyov.

A third-year draft eligible player – he’s a July 2000 birthday – Solovyov is a big (6’2″, 187 pounds) left shot defender and currently plays in the KHL with Dynamo Minsk. He spent the 2019-20 season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, where he had seven goals and 40 points in 53 games. He would’ve been a two-spotter – an overager and an import – in the OHL, so he headed back to Europe.

He’s been a fixture internationally for Belarus, capturing silver and bronze at the Division 1 World Juniors over the past two seasons.

He’s a little old, but he’s big, has shown the ability to generate offense, and is currently playing a regular shift against grown men. Late in the 2020 draft, you can understand why the Flames may have felt he was worth the gamble.