Penguins sign talented Russian prospect to ELC

This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

There is another Pittsburgh Penguins prospect on the way. Saturday afternoon, the team announced they signed Russian prospect Mikhail Ilyin to a three-year entry-level deal.

The Penguins have signed forward Mikhail Ilyin to a three-year entry-level contract.

His contract will begin in the 2025.26 campaign and will run through the 2027.28 season.

Details: https://t.co/2vxH7t5SHQ pic.twitter.com/CySGyQmHEy
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 31, 2025

Ilyin, 20, was the Penguins’ fifth-round choice (142nd overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft. He’s a slick stickhandling left-wing player who has played for the Severstal Cherepovets in the KHL for the last two seasons. This season, he scored seven goals with 30 points in 64 games. Last season, he notched 12 goals and 29 points in 65 games.

He is just one of eight teenagers in KHL history to register 30 or more points in a single season. He tied the Cherepovets team record set by 19-year-old Pavel Buchnevich in 2014-15.

The 6-foot, 180-pound winger, who must change his number to play in the NHL because he wears No. 99 in Russia, is known for deceptive stickhandling and offensive attack. However, the great knock in him is his skating, which amateur scouts report as well below average. He would presumably be the second Russian prospect with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins next season, joining goalie Sergei Murashov.

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