Pittsburgh Penguins · Defense · Shoots L

Ilya Solovyov

Age 26 · 6'3" · 229 lb · Born in Mogilev, BLR

Cap hit

$850K

0.8% of $104M cap

Term

1 yr

Through 2026-27, then UFA

Clause

None

Surplus value

—

needs 40 recent games

Contract details from our records; public announcement not yet matched

2025-26 regular season

Goals

4.3% shooting

Assists

3 primary

Points

0.27 per game

TOI/GP

12:45

PP 0:02 · PK 0:16

Plus/minus

Hits

Blocks 33

PIM

Game Score

+0.25

per game

Game log

Last 5 games · NHL API

Game	SOG	HIT	BLK	TOI	PP	PK	FO	OZS%	GV	GS
Apr 29 @ PHI · OTL 1-0	0	1	2	7:48	0:00	0:00	—	0	1	+0.10
Apr 27 vs PHI · W 3-2	0	2	0	6:09	0:00	0:00	—	100	0	+0.01
Apr 25 @ PHI · W 4-2	0	2	0	7:33	0:00	0:00	—	100	1	+0.04
Apr 14 @ STL · L 7-5	2	2	1	14:31	0:00	0:00	—	67	1	-0.10
Apr 12 @ WSH · L 3-0	1	1	2	19:45	0:00	0:00	—	0	0	+0.28

GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.

Advanced metrics

5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 371 min · percentile vs. NHL defensemen

xGF%57.0%

94th percentile

Relative xGF%+2.7

80th percentile

HDCF%56.9%

84th percentile

CF%55.2%

91st percentile

Relative CF%+1.8

75th percentile

FF%57.8%

96th percentile

GF%50.0%

52nd percentile

CF/6067.0

92nd percentile

CA/6054.4

74th percentile

ixG/600.14

25th percentile

Goals above expected+0.1

52nd percentile

IPP40.0%

71st percentile

PDO97.8

20th percentile

OZS%46.4%

47th percentile

xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.

Play styleAggressive rush defenseman

Trait percentiles vs. NHL defensemen · 2025-26

Solovyov is a dynamic puck-mover who excels at creating transition chances and generating offense from the blue line. He plays a high-risk, high-reward game built on aggression and physicality, but his limited forechecking and skating speed expose him to turnovers in deeper ice.

elite playmakeraggressiverush-firstphysical

Shooting volume: 69
Playmaking: 74
Zone entries(est.): 98
Forechecking: 12
Physicality: 87
Defensive impact: 85
Puck management: 55
Speed: 17

Where he shoots from

Slot 2% · Mid-range 22% · Perimeter 76%(41 unblocked shots)

Strengths

Elite at generating rush chances with 98th percentile zone entry speed and timing
Strong defensive positioning and impact at 85th percentile despite limited ice time
Exceptional physicality at 87th percentile paired with solid playmaking in the 74th percentile

Watch-outs

Weak forechecking at 12th percentile limits ability to generate offense below the goal line
Low skating speed at 17th percentile may limit recovery when transition play breaks down

Similar style: Jacob Trouba (SJS), Jake Christiansen (CBJ)

Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.

Career stats

From the NHL's player records

NHL regular season NHL playoffs All leagues

Season	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	SOG	S%	TOI	FO%	GS/GP
2023-24	Calgary Flames	10	0	3	3	-3	4	10	0.0	15:54	—	+0.23
2024-25	Calgary Flames	5	0	1	1	-3	2	6	0.0	15:40	—	+0.20
2025-26	Colorado Avalanche	16	1	2	3	-1	6	14	7.1	11:34	—	+0.25
2025-26	Pittsburgh Penguins	14	0	5	5	+1	10	9	0.0	14:06	—	+0.25
Career	3 seasons	45	1	11	12	-6	22	39	2.6	13:46	—

Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team. GS/GP is our Game Score per game.

Latest news

Headlines from news outlets and team blogs

No news about him in the last 30 days.

Sentiment & chatter

Fans

—

Beat writers

—

Media

—

Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.

Recent Game Scores

Last 10 games · goals above average

-0.2VGK3/12

-0.3UTA3/14

+0.3

+0.3COL3/16

+0.5

+0.5CAR3/18

-0.4WSH4/11

+0.3

+0.3WSH4/12

-0.1STL4/14

+0.0

+0.0PHI4/25

+0.0

+0.0PHI4/27

+0.1

+0.1PHI4/29

Average +0.03 per game over these 10.

Where his Game Score comes from

+0.25 per game

2025-26 · 30 GP

Season total +7.5, or +0.25 per game.

Scoring: +5.1
Shooting: +1.7
Defense: +0.3
Penalty kill: +0.1
Physical play: +2.4
Puck battles: -0.7
Penalties: -1.3

Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.

Skating · NHL EDGE

2025-26, as of Oct 2

Top speed: 20.5 mph; 15th pct
20+ mph bursts: 7
Hardest shot: 97.2 mph; 89th pct
Distance: 54.6 mi
OZ time: 43.1%; 71st pct
DZ time: 38.4%

Usage

Last 2 games this season

Not on a regular line over the last 2 games.

From the NHL's shift charts, averaged over this season's last 10 games.

Age curve

At 26: 98% of peak

NHL defensemen · production index

202937

At 26, defensemen typically produce 98% of their peak (age 24).

From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.

Contract by season

1 season left

Season	Team	Cap hit	% of cap
2026-27	PIT	$850K	0.8%

UFA after 2026-27. $850K in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).