The Flames have recalled defenseman Ilya Solovyov from AHL Calgary, per a team announcement. He comes up from the Wranglers after Oliver Kylington left Saturday’s loss to the Oilers late after colliding with teammate Nazem Kadri. Calgary has yet to give Kylington an official injury designation.
This is the 23-year-old Belarusian’s third career recall. The Flames brought him up for a four-day stint in late October and again for over two weeks in December. Both of those recalls were standard ones, while today’s comes under emergency conditions, according to CapFriendly.
The 2020 seventh-round pick has made six appearances across his two previous recalls. In that time, Solovyov captured his first two NHL points, both assists, and recorded a -3 rating with four PIMs, nine blocks, and eight hits. He did so in bottom-pairing minutes, averaging 14:59 per game.
Calgary has eight defensemen on the NHL roster, six of them healthy. Other than Kylington, Joel Hanley is day to day with an undisclosed injury. If Solovyov remains on the roster longer than necessary for the Flames to ice a minimum of six defenders, they’ll need to place him on their roster from his emergency loan.
Solovyov has put together a solid body of work since joining the Flames’ system in 2021, displaying his strengths as a confident outlet passer with a physical edge. He isn’t much of a factor in the offensive zone, but the 6’3″, 207-lb blue-liner has proven valuable in transition. He has 40 points and a +25 rating in 169 games with AHL Calgary and Stockton over the past three seasons, including 14 points and a +2 rating in 50 contests this season.
He’s in the final season of his three-year entry-level contract. He has arbitration rights if he reaches restricted free agency this summer, and he’s due a qualifying offer of $814K.