With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason after a brief return to the postseason, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 53 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.
Starting with veteran Noel Acciari and going on through to prospect Bill Zonnon, every player will be profiled in alphabetical order (with newly acquired forward Oliver Okuliar tacked on after Zonnon).
This series is scheduled to be published every day until Wednesday, two days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)
Ilya Solovyov
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Age: 25
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 208 pounds
2025-26 NHL regular season statistics: 30 games, eight points (one goal, seven assists), 12:45 of average ice time per contest
2025-26 NHL postseason statistics: Three games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists), 7:10 of average ice time per contest
2025-26 AHL regular season statistics: Three games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists)
Contract: In the final year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. Entering a one-year contract with a salary cap hit of $850,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2027
Acquired: Trade, Jan. 20, 2026
Last season: Ilya Solovyov opened the preseason as a member of the Calgary Flames, the team that had drafted him in the seventh round (No. 205 overall) in 2020. But after a ho-hum preseason in which he recorded one assist in three games, the Flames placed him on waivers with the intent of assigning him to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, but had to expose him to waivers in order to do so.
The Colorado Avalanche claimed Solovyov on Oct. 3 and he opened the regular season with that team. After missing two games to square away work visa issues, the Belarusian-born Solovyov made his Avalanche debut Oct. 11 and remained in that squad’s lineup for nine of 11 games before becoming a healthy scratch for approximately two months.
While he was sent to the Colorado Eagles for a conditioning assignment Dec. 12 and skated in three games for that AHL club, he was officially a healthy scratch for the Avalanche’s purposes for 24 consecutive games between Nov. 4 and Jan. 3.
Back in the lineup by Jan. 4, Solovyov, who still qualified as a rookie last season, pieced together a modest three-game scoring streak in early January, including his first career goal during a 4-0 home win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 10.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 20, 2026
Ultimately, the Avalanche didn’t have room for Solovyev in a stacked lineup. After 16 games and three points (one goal, two assists) with the Avalanche, he was dealt to the Penguins on Jan. 20 in exchange for minor league forward Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh-round draft pick in this year’s draft.
Solovyov didn’t exactly fit in immediately with the Penguins, as he was a healthy scratch for his first three games with the club. But once he did get in the lineup, he found ways to contribute.
In his first game with the Penguins, he set up defensive partner Ryan Shea for a goal during a 6-2 home win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 29.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 30, 2026
And in a 5-2 road win against Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 5, Solovyov recorded the primary assist on rookie forward Avery Hayes’ first career goal (in his NHL debut) by alertly flipping a puck out of the defensive zone, allowing Hayes to strike with his speed.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) February 6, 2026
Ultimately, Solovyov was a spare part for the Penguins as he was a healthy scratch for 20 of a possible 34 regular season games with the club. In total, he skated in 14 regular season contests for the Penguins and totaled five assists.
Once the postseason started, Solovyov was a healthy scratch for the first three games of an opening-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, but he wound up appearing in the final three games of the series while skating on the right side of the third pairing.
On May 7, the Penguins signed Soloyvev, a pending restricted free agent, to a one-year contract extension.
The future: There’s plenty to be intrigued by Solovyov, even as a reserve. He has a fair amount of offensive acumen while also offering something of a physical edge. He even has some competence playing on the right side as a left-handed shot.
Finding ice time might be a challenge for Solovyov, given some of the incumbents the Penguins have (to say nothing of some of their rising prospects) on the blue line, but that isn’t exactly anything new for Solovyov, who had all of 15 career games on his NHL resume before this season.
Solovyov, who turns 26 on July 20, isn’t a guarantee to make the NHL roster out of training camp next season, but he has proven he can provide utility as a reserve.