'I'm A Home Defenceman'

“I’m a new guy right now.”

Those words from defenceman - and new father - Ilya Solovyov, who put together a media scrum for the ages Wednesday outside the Flames dressing room, following a late-night recall from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

The 24-year-old blueliner was grinning from ear to ear, and why not?

The man they call ‘Solo’ has a happy family, which now includes a six month-old son, and a fresh NHL call-up to boot.

Now, if only we could do something about those Alberta winters.

“I was in Canmore yesterday, with my wife and son,” Solovyov explained. “If I’d recognized that the weather would be so bad in the morning, I probably would have gone right away. ‘Cause, you know, I have to drive back home, leave my wife and son over there, and then just go to the Saddledome. It probably took me two and a half hours.”

“It was so bad. Like, you’re not able to rush on the road, when it’s the snow time.”

Safe driving habits aside, Solovyov’s excursion to the mountains was eventful, thanks to his infant son.

In fact, he’s probably the reason Solovyov was even awake when the phone started ringing Tuesday night.

“We almost fall asleep, but - I don’t know why - like, my son just woke up (for) no reason and started playing with me in bed,” said Solovyov. “It was a little bit - not like frustrating - but it was a little sad. Like ‘Hey! Buddy! It’s 11 p.m., we want to sleep!’”

“I just grabbed him in my hands and tried to bring him to sleep. I’m sitting in bed, but then I saw that my phone started to make some noise. It was (Wranglers GM) Brad Pascall who called me.

“He said ‘we want to call you up, where are you?’ I said ‘I’m in Canmore, like what do I have to do right now?’”

So after a night of rest - Solovyov quipped that a fun day at the sauna might have helped him fall asleep quickly - he arrived at Wednesday’s optional skate, ready for a first stint in the NHL since skating in his first 10 NHL games for the Flames in 2023-24.

He’s here to fill a role. And even though Soloyvov has put up a career-best 21 points in 41 games at the AHL level this year, he knows - and his coach knows - that the defensive zone is where he’ll earn his keep.

“We have Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar, these are the guys who make the plays on the blue line. Maybe some other guys, too,” Solovyov said. “But as for me, I am the guy who (has) to support them to do it, and don’t think about like when I carry the puck, they have to think ‘oh my God, it’s probably going the other way right now.’ It’s just simple hockey, give them opportunity to make some fun things (happen) on the ice, and that’s it.

“I’m a home defenceman, so my part on the ice is our zone, neutral zone, and blue line, and that’s it. If I can score from the blue line, coach will say ‘Oh! What a shot! Good job!’ It’s not my job to go on the rush.”

It’s that type of defence-first attitude that’s caught Ryan Huska’s attention, too.

“The one thing that’s been a weakness of ours this year is the penalty-kill, and Solo is a guy that is killing a lot for the Wranglers,” the Flames bench boss explained Wednesday afternoon. “He’s fearless in regards to blocking shots, like he eats a lot of pucks. Then I think it’s the left-handed shooter that he is, but also the size and strength that he can play the game with.

“(He) needs to be hard to play against, right? And that’s not necessarily meaning he’s going to finish hits like Pachal does, but we do need him to keep people away from the front of our net.

“‘Cause that’s part of who he is, he’s a bigger, stronger man, moves well, and as I said, we have openings for penalty-killers on the back end. We need people to step up and grab hold of that role, so there may be an opportunity for him in those situations.”

This time around, it feels different for Solovyov.

More comfortable in front of the media notwithstanding, the Belarusian is a year older and a year wiser, too.

And he’s rooted in love - and responsibility - for his family. There’s a genuine understanding that their support is crucial in living out that NHL dream.

“I just want to say thanks to my family, because they helped me a lot,” Solovyov said. “I hope my wife can come to see how I play in the NHL, ‘cause it’s a little bit hard with a six month-old kid. Especially when he falls asleep at 8. I try to tell her ‘if I will play, just come for one period, then go home.’

“‘Cause I understand, he needs to sleep, too. (If) he will not sleep, she will kill me after. It will be busy for us - for both of us - ‘cause I have to help, too,” he continued. “Like, I’m a father. I’m not able to just fall asleep when my son is crying, or when he’s playing.

“I will be happy if she can make it.”