The Capitals have signed winger Ivan Miroshnichenko to a two-year contract extension, per his representation at Gold Star Hockey. It’s a one-way deal worth $1.85MM for a cap hit of $925,000, per PuckPedia. He is in the final season of his entry-level contract and was set to be a restricted free agent next summer without arbitration rights.
A two-year deal keeps Miroshnichenko signed through the 2027-28 season. He’ll still be a restricted free agent then, too, with three years of team control remaining. This is year three in North America for Miroshnichenko, whom Washington selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 draft. The 6’1″ winger nearly had his hands on an opening-night roster spot this year but was one of their final cuts. Now in his final year of waiver-exempt status, he went without a point in two games with AHL Hershey earlier this month before sustaining an injury that’s kept him out since.
When he gets back on the ice, Miroshnichenko will be looking to continue the momentum from a breakout 2024-25 campaign in Hershey. The physical scoring winger totaled 23 tallies and 42 points in 53 AHL games, leading the club in goals. It was a major breakthrough after he was limited to nine goals and 25 points in 47 appearances for the Bears the year prior.
His transition to the NHL, though, is still coming along. He’s gotten callups of significant length in each of the last two years, totaling 36 appearances. His ice time has been limited, though, averaging 10:51 per game while scoring three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He’s been among Washington’s more physical forwards when on NHL ice, though, averaging two hits per game.
Miroshnichenko’s shooting accuracy against NHL goaltenders is the biggest area where he needs to grow. For someone who will rely on his shot to break into a top-nine role for the Caps in the long term, he’s only finished at a 6.8% clip so far. Getting the puck toward the net hasn’t been a huge issue – he’s averaged 2.7 shot attempts per game in his call-ups – but converting on his chances and creating more high-danger ones is the next step in his development.
It’s hard not to see Miroshnichenko getting a call-up later this season when he’s healthy again. His loss of waiver-exempt status in 2026-27 means he should be penciled into next season’s opening night roster. Washington likely doesn’t want to have him go too long without NHL action if that’s the case.