As training camp rolls along and rosters get trimmed down, we’re seeing more players hit the waiver wire. Per PuckPedia, the Calgary Flames placed blueline Ilya Solovyov on waivers on Tuesday.

Solovyov is a 24-year-old left shot blueliner originally from Belarus. He was a seventh-round selection by the Flames in 2020, his second year of draft eligibility. He’s been playing in the Flames pro system since 2021-22, working his way up in the Flames’ AHL hierarchy. He took a gigantic step forward in 2022-23, playing alongside Nick DeSimone, and he progress enough to play 10 NHL games in 2023-24 over a couple recall stints. His second NHL game was the 2023 Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium.

Solovyov is a bit of a throwback: a heavy, defence-first, physical stay-at-home blueliner. With the Flames’ off-season additions, the left side of the NHL blueline is currently a bit crowded with the likes of MacKenzie Weegar (playing his off-side), Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, and perhaps somebody like Jarred Tinordi, Joel Hanley or Tyson Barrie (playing his off-side), so Solovyov seems destined to head back to the Wranglers to get game action and bide his time for his next opportunity.

As it stands, Solovyov is great depth for the Flames to have waiting in the wings, and quite a compliment to the more offence-oriented blueliners liked destined for the Wranglers roster such as Jeremie Poirier or Hunter Brzustewicz.

Should Solovyov clear waivers on Wednesday, he’ll be eligible to be assigned to the AHL. As it stands, the Flames have 38 players on the camp roster, with Martin Frk and Justin Kirkland having cleared waivers earlier this week and become eligible for assignment to the AHL themselves.