Calgary Flames recall promising young defenseman

The Calgary Flames have very little to play for over the next few weeks as they head into one of their most important summers in franchise history, and it's the perfect opportunity for them to get some fresh blood into the lineup.

While many fans will be looking to the AHL to the official regular season debut of Jeremie Poirier, it's instead teammate Ilya Solovyov who gets his shot once more, as the Flames have officially recalled him to the lineup ahead of a matchup on the road with the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

In six games for the Flames this season, the 23-year old tallied just two assists, but became a solid hand on the third line before Calgary added some more bodies to the blue line, while he's been great once more for the Wranglers, notching 5 goals and 9 assists in 50 games this year. At this point, this may be Solovyov's last chance at the NHL level to prove that he can be a consistent contributor, because right now and both the NHL and AHL level, he predicts to be a third-pairing and potentially seventh defenseman on any team he plays for.

With a blue line that now includes Brayden Pachal, Daniil Miromanov and Joel Hanley, it's unclear where Solovyov fits in, but if he wants to be considered for an NHL spot next year with the emergence of even more young talent in Poririer, Hunter Brzustewicz and a potential first-round pick, he will look to make an impact over the next two weeks.