The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh-round draft pick in 2026 on Tuesday.
Solovyov, 25, has split the 2025-26 season between the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) levels. In 16 NHL games, he has three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 11:34 of ice time per contest.
He scored his first career goal earlier this month during a 4-0 home win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 10.
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At the AHL level, he has skated in three games for the Colorado Eagles and has no points.
A left-handed shot, Solovyov (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) is in the final year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
A native of Belarus, Solovyov (pronounced soh-LOH-vee-ahv) was a seventh-round draft pick (No. 205 overall) of the Calgary Flames in 2020 and spent four seasons with that organization before being claimed off waivers by the Avalanche on Oct. 3.
Solovyov must clear waivers before any assignment to a minor league affiliate.
To make room for Solovyov on the NHL roster, the Penguins assigned forward Joona Koppanen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.
Puustinen’s tenure with the Penguins comes to an end after five seasons.
A seventh-round draft pick (No. 203 overall) in 2019, he primarily suited up for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and became one of the most prolific producers in the history of that club. In 252 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Puustinen scored 175 points (72 goals, 103 assists), fourth most in career scoring.
This season, Puustinen, a native of Finland, had appeared in 35 games and posted 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists), second-most on the squad. During a 3-2 road win against the Springfield Thunderbids on Monday, Puustinen had a goal and an assist.
PUUSTY POWER pic.twitter.com/Dh4PwUSZIG
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 19, 2026
That production rarely translated to the NHL, however. In parts of three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Puustinen generated only 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 66 contests.
A right-handed shot, Puustinen (5-foot-1, 180 pounds) also must be exposed to waivers for any assignment to a minor league affiliate. After clearing waivers on Oct. 3, he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Puustinen, 26, is in the final year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000.
