The Philadelphia Flyers just made a move that no one really saw coming, signing a former sixth-round draft pick that was toiling away in Russia and not really seen as making the development steps they wanted. But, they signed him and he’s now here.
Announced by the team on Monday morning, the Flyers have signed 20-year-old winger Ilya Pautov to his three-year, entry-level contract. Pautov was sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft at 173rd overall, and has been playing most of his games in the Russian junior system since then.
Since being drafted two years ago, Pautov has been lacing up for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva in the MHL (the Russian junior league) for the majority of his time. He’s been firmly embedded in CSKA Moskow’s development system but has not really been climbing the ladder.
He scored 17 goals and 45 points in 52 games in the 2024-25 season and that did not earn him as a promotion as he found himself back in juniors at 19 years old, and he had a decrease in production with just 10 goals and 23 points in 30 games. He did manage to take one step up to the VHL, his first taste of pro hockey against grown men in the domestic second division, but still, he did not take advantage of those opportunities. While playing for Zvezda Moskva in the VHL, Pautov scored just one goal and five points in 25 games.
Now, Pautov was being sent back and forth between juniors and the pro level. From the start of last season, he would spent a handful of games in juniors, then spent a month in the VHL, and then back to the MHL for one game, and then the VHL for five; MHL for three more, followed by nine in the VHL, two in the MHL, two in the VHL — you get our point.
It wasn’t until January where he stayed in one place for any period of time. During his time in the VHL, though, he was getting an average opportunity. There are some games he would finish with less than six minutes of ice-time, but others he would play over 16. It’s an interesting campaign to say at least.
Flyers must see something in Pautov
The whole profile of him, and one reason why we were excited for the Flyers to nab him in the sixth round two years ago, is that he is a skilled, small-area playmaker. A little crafty winger at 5-foot-10 and just 165 pounds, but someone that has an abundance of skill and isn’t even afraid to get to the inside of the zone. Basically everything you want from your offensive players, but it is just that he didn’t really pop on the score sheet that often.
Obviously, we’re not crushing MHL tape like the Flyers’ development staff led by Riley Armstrong are. They must see something in him that didn’t really translate to scoring but it could if they just got a hold of him.
It’s similar to the signing of Alex Ciernik back in March. Someone that they personally drafted and saw potential in, is now getting a contract to bring them over from Europe because they believe they are going to be better developed by them than if they were to stay in their home country or try and find the right team over there.
Where is Pautov going to play next season?
That’s the big question: Where the heck is he even going to be playing next season? Of course we don’t know because the Flyers still have to evaluate him over the summer and in development camp, and then maybe see if he could possibly hang in the AHL and stick in North America.
There is the possibility that they loan him back to Russia, but that seems like a big messy thing. If Pautov wasn’t deemed good enough to play in the KHL for CSKA Moscow, would they be fine with him letting his NHL team strike out a deal with a lesser KHL team? Could Pautov be on his way to Sochi, or even head out to Kazakhstan to lace up for HC Barys? It’s not impossible, but it’s a curious problem to solve.
Either way, it is extremely interesting that the Flyers decided to pull this trigger and instead of Pautov potentially fading into nothing, they grabbed him and are going to try to make the most out of the skills that he has.
He’s still just 20 years old and it’s certainly not a new thing if a Russian prospect doesn’t really hit or make it into the NHL until he’s 24 or 25 years old. A new thing to keep an eye on, at the very least.
