The Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Mikhail Ilyin in the fifth-round pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He doesn’t get much coverage, but he’s progressing steadily. He’s on pace to establish a career-high in points with Severstal this season with six goals and 21 assists in 56 regular-season games after scoring 29 last season. Moreover, Severstal – which has one of the smallest budgets in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) – is bound to clinch a playoff spot.
In this translated interview, Ilyin talks about the season, his early years in hockey, his idol Evgeni Malkin, his plans for the future and much more.
** You can read Ilyin’s interview in his native Russian by Darya Tuboltseva on VseProSport here **
Since the beginning of the year, Severstal has alternated between wins and losses. “Everything’s fine within the team,” Ilyin said. “We all want to win. Our season has been a rollercoaster—I don’t know why, but everyone’s giving their all, fighting hard, and no one’s indifferent. I hope we’ll pick up momentum for the playoffs.”
Ilyin’s Season So Far
Could the team’s youth be a factor? “It’s a young team only in terms of age; otherwise, everyone has experience,” he said. “Many have played in the playoffs. There are also veteran players.”
There were also disappointing losses in Ilyin’s season. Against Avangard, they were leading 3-0 and 4-2 but eventually lost in a shootout. “It was disappointing,” he confirmed. “But not the worst. We didn’t keep our concentration until the end—we believed in victory too early and let the game slip away.”
“The ones with a big deficit” were worse, he explains. “Just like when we lost at home to Dynamo Moscow 2-7, it was a disgrace in front of the fans. You just can’t play like that.” His coach, Andrei Kozyrev, allegedly had a good talk with the team, but Ilyin wasn’t keen on sharing the details. “The coach said that we’d prepare for the next game. But what happened in the locker room should stay there.”
Ilyin often plays on Severstal’s top line with center Daniil Aimurzin and winger Kirill Pilipenko. The trio is doing great. “Last season, [forward Daniil] Vovchenko (now with Metallurg) got injured, and I was put on that line to replace him,” he recalled. “I played one game, then [Hurricanes’ draftee] Timur Mukhanov was moved there instead, and later we switched back. It seemed like things started to click for us. When Vovchenko returned, he was first placed on the fourth line, then moved back to the first, but it didn’t quite work out. In the end, I was put back on the first line, and that’s where I’ve been playing ever since.”
Being on the top line in the KHL at 18 is quite a feat. “It is, but I wouldn’t say that it’s cool,” Ilyin says. “It’s more about responsibility. You have to prove that you belong on the top line and that you weren’t put there by accident. At first, I was wondering what I was even doing there. But then I realized that the coach didn’t just put me there for no reason—he must have seen something in me. And after that, I started playing better.”
Ilyin Enjoying Freedom to Play
Their coach gives them freedom. “We don’t really have specific roles,” he explained. “My linemates score more, and I try to set them up since scoring isn’t exactly my strongest suit. In general, our team doesn’t have a strict distinction between defensemen and forwards—anyone can play anywhere if needed.”
When asked who he spends the most time with, he said, “I think it’s Aimurzin since we sit next to each other. I talk to Pilya (Pilipenko) less. I actually spend the most time with Mukhanov—we’ve known each other since playing for the national team and have been friends for longer.”
Playing on the first line gave Ilyin confidence. However, he is still young with room to improve. “Yeah, I’ve gained some confidence, but if I go two or three games without things clicking, it quickly disappears. I feel like I’m doing the same things, but nothing works. Then, if I have a good game, suddenly, I feel like I can do it again.”
What’s good is that his coach never forces them. “He lets us play,” he said firmly. “He tells us, ‘Do what you do, I’ll take responsibility.’ You’re not immediately benched for a mistake. Instead, they just point out what to do differently next shift.”
Of course, making the big league has taught him valuable lessons. “Never drop your head, or you’ll get hit hard and risk injury. You have to stay focused. If you lower your head once, you might take a big hit, miss half the season, and then good luck trying to get back to the lineup.”
Earlier in the season, Ilyin scored the fastest goal of the KHL season— 7 seconds into the game against Kunlun Red Star in November. “We had a set play after the faceoff, and for once, it worked perfectly on the first try. Later, in the third period, we scored the exact same way.”
Ilyin’s Early Years
Like most professional players, Ilyin’s path to pro hockey started early. “I was taken to hockey when I was five years old,” he said. “I was still in kindergarten, and I had a friend who would always leave during nap time to go play hockey. I didn’t like napping there, so I wanted to go too. For my birthday, I got a pair of skates, and a week later, I was already on the ice. At first, we skated using little chairs to keep from falling. But I didn’t know that, so I went out without one, immediately fell, and crawled on my knees to the goal line to listen to the coach’s instructions. That was my first practice at Severstal’s hockey school. Back then, there was no such thing as extra skating lessons—nowadays, parents send their kids to additional training. We had practice every day, and we rested on weekends.”
It’s surprising that parents found time for those extra skating lessons, even back then. “I would go either early in the morning or on off days. I think the most important thing in childhood is never get tired of hockey. If you have to go for extra sessions every morning at 7 a.m., you might start to hate it. But I always loved it. Even now, I can’t go without hockey. I take a week off, and I already want to get back on the ice.”
A young Ilyin was easy to spot at Severstal’s home games. “I think I started attending games when I was around six years old. Back then, I thought professional hockey was something out of this world. Now, the arena in Cherepovets seems small to me, but back then, it felt massive.”
Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins
Ilyin has no doubts about his early idol. “Malkin,” he stated. “When I started understanding hockey better, I began following him. In youth hockey, I wore #71 in his honor. I still keep up with him now.”
Then, he was drafted by the Penguins. “At the time of the draft, I was playing a game for Almaz [Severstal’s junior team]. I remember sitting in the locker room with the guys, and someone said I’d be picked in the fifth round while someone else guessed it would be Pittsburgh. And that’s exactly how it happened. We didn’t have internet reception in the locker room, so I stepped outside and saw all the messages saying the Penguins had drafted me.”
“Of course, playing with him is a dream deep down. But he’s at an age where he might retire soon or return to Russia. I’d love to play with him, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m still at a stage where I might not even be ready to go there yet.”
Ilyin’s contract with Severstal runs until the end of the season. “That doesn’t change anything. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I just live in the moment and focus on the season.” He also admitted to being in touch with the Penguins. “They check in on me from time to time, ask how I’m doing. But we don’t have constant communication, and they don’t bother me during the season.”
If Ilyin keeps progressing, he may have a chance to meet his idol. He’s still far from becoming an NHL regular, and he may miss playing with Malkin, but the potential is there.
