The Penguins announced that they’ve recalled forward prospect Mikhail Ilyin from his loan to Severstal Cherepovets of the Kontinental Hockey League. He was subsequently assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he’ll finish the 2025-26 season.
Pittsburgh selected Ilyin, 21, in the fifth round in 2023. The 6’0″ winger has done nothing but be a consistently growing producer ever since, graduating from the middle of Cherepovets’ lineup into a core offensive threat. A cerebral two-way piece, Ilyin split his draft year between a 13th forward KHL role and top-line time in the Russian junior circuit but ended up contending for a full-time job with Severstal in his age-19 season, a rare feat for a player taken that late in the draft.
Ilyin had 12 goals and 29 points in 65 games in his post-draft year before upping that overall scoring line to seven goals and 30 points in 64 games in 2024-25. Those back-to-back seasons of legitimate production were enough for the Penguins to offer Ilyin an entry-level contract. He put pen to paper on it as soon as the KHL league year ended, but was ultimately loaned back to Severstal anyway, with Pittsburgh’s AHL roster not in dire need of his services.
It turned out to be the right move. In his third full season with Cherepovets, Ilyin set career highs with 14 goals, 30 assists, and 44 points in 68 games en route to a KHL All-Star Game selection. With two years now left on his entry-level deal, it stands to reason the Pens would like to keep him in North America next season to see how his playmaking and defensive game adjust.
For now, Ilyin will get the chance to get a preview of life in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Baby Pens are headed to the Calder Cup Playoffs, so he could get some more postseason experience after Cherepovets was recently bounced in the first round of the KHL playoffs.