Career
After a year with the Russian team CSKA Moscow, 21-year-old Ilya Dubkov left Russia and moved to Roanoke, Virginia. In Virginia Dubkov played four seasons with Roanoke Express in the ECHL, before getting three appearances with AHL team Hamilton Bulldogs from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. After his debut in the AHL, Dubkov - now 25 - was ready to return to Europe.
In the 1997-1998 season Dubkov was to play for the Danish team Frederikshavn White Hawks, and 13 years later Dubkov has spent only two seasons away from Scandinavia since.
He stayed with the team until 2002, except for one season in Italy and Russia 2000-2001. After spending the 2002-2003 season in Russia with Krylia Sovetov, it was once again time for Dubkov to return to Scandinavian ice hockey.
This time it was time for the center to try something new, and Trondheim Black Panthers from Trondheim, Norway became his team for the next four seasons. After the team folded in 2008, Dubkov returned to Denmark for another three years.
In addition to two more years with Frederikshavn IK he also spent one season with AaB Ishockey in Aalborg.
Meanwhile, another Trondheim team was about to climb to the elite division (Get-ligaen) of Norwegian ice hockey, and at 37 Dubkov returned to Trondheim in 2009 - a town in which he had become a popular player during his four former years there.