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Ilya Solovyov could become a household name in the 2024-25 season as he approaches his best chance at his first full season in the NHL. He took that next jump with the Calgary Flames last season and didn’t look out of place at all by any means. He plays a composed game and isn&#8217;t afraid to lay it all on the line.
This year, Solovyov could very well transfer the chemistry he has had with Dustin Wolf the last few seasons up to the Flames and keep that tandem strong. Many times Wolf has given him credit for the work he does in front of him and vise-versa. This summer, the FlamesNation team voted and Ilya Solovyov landed at number 14 in the 2024 prospect rankings.
<h1>Ilya Solovyov</h1>
Defenceman; Shoots Left 
Born July 20, 2000 (age 24) in Mogilev, Belarus 
6’3”, 216 lbs 
Drafted in the seventh round (205th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Ilya Solovyov comes from a background of many seasons with Team Belarus before he left home to give North American hockey a try. He has represented his country on a variety of stages including the IIHF World Junior Championship and the World Cup. His first North American team was the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and in his first season in 2019-20, he put up 40 points in 53 games as a defender.
When Covid-19 hit, Solovyov returned to Belarus but continued to play with local teams. It wasn’t until the season after he was drafted by the Flames that he returned to this side of the world to play hockey. Solovyov made his AHL debut in 2021-22 with the Stockton Heat and played in 51 games that season registering eight points. This was just in the first year of his entry-level contract.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
🚨Ilya Solovyov scores his first AHL goal! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://t.co/nSHxdVImjD">pic.twitter.com/nSHxdVImjD</a>
&mdash; Flames Prospects (@BlastyProspects) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlastyProspects/status/1469862607343394828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As he remained signed during the team relocation, he was a regular for the Calgary Wranglers&#8217; inaugural season and played in nearly every game. In 2022-23, Solovyov put up 18 points in 68 games in the AHL. That year in playoffs, he also put up a goal and an assist to help contribute to the Wranglers’ nine-game run.
In the 2023-24 season, Solovyov was usually a top or top two pairing for the Wranglers alongside Nick DeSimone (prior to his departure), Jordan Oesterle, Mark Pysyk or Jonathan Aspirot. He played in 51 regular season games for the Flames affiliate and made his NHL debut on Oct. 23, 2023, against the St. Louis Blues.
He had a few pockets of call-ups in late October, early to mid-December and mid-April that added up to a total of 10 games with the Flames. It only took him three games to get on the stat sheet with an assist on Connor Zary&#8217;s goal against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 5, 2023. Solovyov ended up finishing the year with three assists at the NHL level.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
🔥Flames Goal🔥
Ilya Solovyov picks up his first NHL point on this Connor Zary tip! 
4-2 Wild <a href="https://t.co/jItv6l4DIs">pic.twitter.com/jItv6l4DIs</a>
&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1732252439787753916?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In the AHL, he returned to the Wranglers to aid the team in their playoff journey. After wrapping up the regular season with the Flames, he played in the last regular season game with the Wranglers on Apr. 20. His AHL numbers finished up at 15 points in 51 games consisting of five goals and 10 assists.
In the post-season, Ilya Solovyov played in all six games but only registered one point with an assist in game two against the Tucson Roadrunners. However, his contributions in playoffs were not things that can be recorded in the box score. Solovyov was like an extra goaltender on the ice physically stopping pucks in the crease and blocking a lot of shots from even making it all the way to Dustin Wolf. His hockey IQ and ability to break up big plays helped keep his team in it against tough opponents like the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
FlamesNation writer Mike Gould provided some insight as well into what he sees out of Solovyov’s game. He said:
<blockquote>“I&#8217;ve been a fan of Solovyov&#8217;s pretty much ever since he made his North American pro debut with the Stockton Heat three seasons ago. Much has been said about Artem Grushnikov needing to carve out a Chris Tanev-like niche to make a go of things in the NHL, but Solovyov has already done so much of the work to get his game closer to that level. He&#8217;s absolutely rock-solid on his side of the red line, consistently making the correct decisions to break up plays and quickly move the puck in the right direction. He&#8217;s also a strong skater and surprisingly capable in the offensive zone, although that aspect of his game may not translate to the next level for him. I would be surprised if Solovyov doesn&#8217;t settle in as a quality bottom-pairing defender in the NHL, perhaps in the same vein as guys like Jani Hakanpaa and Dmitri Kulikov, but his upside is a little limited by the lack of dymanic elements in his game. Once the Flames inevitably move on from one or two of their more established depth defenders, Solovyov should get the first crack at locking down a full-time spot with the big club.”</blockquote>
Expectations for 2024-25
The first order of business is to 100% secure Solovyov’s spot in the organization next season. His entry-level contract expired this summer and he is a restricted free agent as it stands. He may be in a place to try and negotiate a one-way deal but if he and the Flames are not aligned on that, a one-year, two-way extension at minimum is as least earned.
If Solovyov is seen with the Wranglers this season, I imagine it will be brief or an end of season situation where the Flames are out of the playoff picture but the Wranglers remain. Depending on his year, this could be the last summer Soloyvov shows up on this list as he graduates from the prospect status.
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This article is brought to you by bet365.

Ilya Solovyov could become a household name in the 2024-25 season as he approaches his best chance at his first full season in the NHL. He took that next jump with the Calgary Flames last season and didn’t look out of place at all by any means. He plays a composed game and isn't afraid to lay it all on the line.

This year, Solovyov could very well transfer the chemistry he has had with Dustin Wolf the last few seasons up to the Flames and keep that tandem strong. Many times Wolf has given him credit for the work he does in front of him and vise-versa. This summer, the FlamesNation team voted and Ilya Solovyov landed at number 14 in the 2024 prospect rankings.
<h1>Ilya Solovyov</h1>
Defenceman; Shoots Left
Born July 20, 2000 (age 24) in Mogilev, Belarus
6’3”, 216 lbs
Drafted in the seventh round (205th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Ilya Solovyov comes from a background of many seasons with Team Belarus before he left home to give North American hockey a try. He has represented his country on a variety of stages including the IIHF World Junior Championship and the World Cup. His first North American team was the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and in his first season in 2019-20, he put up 40 points in 53 games as a defender.

When Covid-19 hit, Solovyov returned to Belarus but continued to play with local teams. It wasn’t until the season after he was drafted by the Flames that he returned to this side of the world to play hockey. Solovyov made his AHL debut in 2021-22 with the Stockton Heat and played in 51 games that season registering eight points. This was just in the first year of his entry-level contract.

https://twitter.com/BlastyProspects/status/1469862607343394828

As he remained signed during the team relocation, he was a regular for the Calgary Wranglers' inaugural season and played in nearly every game. In 2022-23, Solovyov put up 18 points in 68 games in the AHL. That year in playoffs, he also put up a goal and an assist to help contribute to the Wranglers’ nine-game run.

In the 2023-24 season, Solovyov was usually a top or top two pairing for the Wranglers alongside Nick DeSimone (prior to his departure), Jordan Oesterle, Mark Pysyk or Jonathan Aspirot. He played in 51 regular season games for the Flames affiliate and made his NHL debut on Oct. 23, 2023, against the St. Louis Blues.

He had a few pockets of call-ups in late October, early to mid-December and mid-April that added up to a total of 10 games with the Flames. It only took him three games to get on the stat sheet with an assist on Connor Zary's goal against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 5, 2023. Solovyov ended up finishing the year with three assists at the NHL level.

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1732252439787753916

In the AHL, he returned to the Wranglers to aid the team in their playoff journey. After wrapping up the regular season with the Flames, he played in the last regular season game with the Wranglers on Apr. 20. His AHL numbers finished up at 15 points in 51 games consisting of five goals and 10 assists.

In the post-season, Ilya Solovyov played in all six games but only registered one point with an assist in game two against the Tucson Roadrunners. However, his contributions in playoffs were not things that can be recorded in the box score. Solovyov was like an extra goaltender on the ice physically stopping pucks in the crease and blocking a lot of shots from even making it all the way to Dustin Wolf. His hockey IQ and ability to break up big plays helped keep his team in it against tough opponents like the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

FlamesNation writer Mike Gould provided some insight as well into what he sees out of Solovyov’s game. He said:
<blockquote>“I've been a fan of Solovyov's pretty much ever since he made his North American pro debut with the Stockton Heat three seasons ago. Much has been said about Artem Grushnikov needing to carve out a Chris Tanev-like niche to make a go of things in the NHL, but Solovyov has already done so much of the work to get his game closer to that level. He's absolutely rock-solid on his side of the red line, consistently making the correct decisions to break up plays and quickly move the puck in the right direction. He's also a strong skater and surprisingly capable in the offensive zone, although that aspect of his game may not translate to the next level for him. I would be surprised if Solovyov doesn't settle in as a quality bottom-pairing defender in the NHL, perhaps in the same vein as guys like Jani Hakanpaa and Dmitri Kulikov, but his upside is a little limited by the lack of dymanic elements in his game. Once the Flames inevitably move on from one or two of their more established depth defenders, Solovyov should get the first crack at locking down a full-time spot with the big club.”</blockquote>
Expectations for 2024-25

The first order of business is to 100% secure Solovyov’s spot in the organization next season. His entry-level contract expired this summer and he is a restricted free agent as it stands. He may be in a place to try and negotiate a one-way deal but if he and the Flames are not aligned on that, a one-year, two-way extension at minimum is as least earned.

If Solovyov is seen with the Wranglers this season, I imagine it will be brief or an end of season situation where the Flames are out of the playoff picture but the Wranglers remain. Depending on his year, this could be the last summer Soloyvov shows up on this list as he graduates from the prospect status.
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FlamesNation’s 2024 Calgary Flames prospect rankings – #14: Ilya Solovyov

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