The 29-year-old former England international has not played since breaking and dislocating an ankle against Brisbane Broncos in the World Club Series in February 2016.
He had hoped to be fit for the start of this season but surgical plates were causing him discomfort, forcing him to go under the knife again, which delayed his return.
Wigan coach Shaun Wane says McIlorum is likely to get his chance to play in the Good Friday derby with St Helens at the DW Stadium, when captain Sean O'Loughlin, winger Joe Burgess and centre Anthony Gelling are also set to return from injury.
"Mickey's a good chance of playing over the weekend," Wane said at his weekly press conference. "I'll decide which game he plays and how many minutes he plays but St Helens is looking favourite.
"He's changed into somebody else, he's gone from being a nice person listening to the physios and doing all the right things in the gym to someone who, all of a sudden isn't speaking to anybody.
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"He's grumpy so I know he's ready. Whether the physio says he's good or not, me and him know when he's ready to play and that's now."
Wane says McIlorum is likely to be on the bench on Friday, with Sam Powell retaining the hooking role after deputising so well in his absence.
"It might take three or four games for Mickey," Wane said. "I'm not expecting him to make line breaks, I just want him to get some minutes under his belt in a big game."
Wigan second rower Joel Tomkins, who has played with McIlorum since they started out in the academy 13 years ago, says the return of the combative hooker will give the team a major boost as they seek to end a three-match losing run.
"It will be huge for us," Tomkins said. "It will definitely add an extra motivation for us on Friday.
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"Everybody has seen what Mickey has been through, it was an horrific injury to start with and he's had a couple of setbacks along the way.
"Mickey plays so hard and trains so hard and has given so much up for the club, it's been difficult to see him go through this last 14 months, so it's great to see him come through the other end.
"He's looking sharp in training. He goes into a mode where he's pretty focused and he probably comes across as a bit grumpy but you can tell he's got his mind on the game on Friday already. He's in early and getting his body ready.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him play as much as the fans.
"He brings a bit of a fear factor for us, he leads the line in defence and puts these big shots on. He gives us an added dimension in defence and on attack he's a smart player.
"The way Sam Powell has been playing has been unbelievable so to have both of them alternating will add an extra dimension for us."
