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Ivan Miroshnichenko

Capitals Sign Ivan Miroshnichenko To Two-Year Extension

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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.

Capitals Reassign Ivan Miroshnichenko, Place Dylan McIlrath On IR

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The Washington Capitals have their opening 23-man roster in place. Following the clearance of their waiver placements yesterday, the team announced that they have reassigned forward Ivan Miroshnichenko and placed defenseman Dylan McIlrath on injured reserve.

The former 20th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft is entering his third season without a full-time role carved out on the Capitals. Despite possessing raw talent in size, speed, and shooting ability, Miroshnichenko has yet to fully realize his potential at the NHL level.

Since transitioning to North America for the 2023-24 campaign, Miroshnichenko has scored three goals and 10 points in 39 games with Washington, averaging 10:51 of ice time per game. He leaves something to be desired in his possession quality, but has been an unexpectedly positive addition on the defensive side of the puck.

He’s been expectedly better in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, scoring 32 goals and 67 points in 100 games, with another 10 goals and 17 points in 28 postseason contests. Although the team failed to win their third consecutive Calder Cup last year, Miroshnichenko was on the roster when they won the second half of their back-to-back in 2024. He’ll likely feature with the Capitals at some point during the 2025-26 season.

Meanwhile, has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the Capitals’ preseason contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets. During that game, although he assisted on the breakout that led to a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, McIlrath left the game after the play and did not appear at practice the following day.

Initial reports suggested McIlrath would be out for about a week, and today’s designation appears to support that notion. He spent much of last season as Washington’s seventh defenseman, tallying two assists in 17 games with 28 PIMs.

Capitals Recall Ethen Frank For NHL Debut

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The Capitals recalled forward Ethen Frank from AHL Hershey on Friday, per a team release. He’ll make his NHL debut tonight at home against the Canadiens. Washington sent Ivan Miroshnichenko down to Hershey to make room on the active roster, general manager Chris Patrick said.

Frank, 26, is in his fourth season in the Capitals organization after Hershey inked him to a minor-league deal out of Western Michigan University late in the 2021-22 campaign. The 5’11” sniper landed an NHL contract from Washington for the 2023-24 season after exploding for 30 goals in 57 games during his rookie AHL showing with Hershey.

The Nebraska native has continued to establish himself as one of the AHL’s best goal-scorers, now totaling 80 in 161 games with Hershey over the past four years. He’s been a core piece of their back-to-back Calder Cup championships, including 10 goals in 18 postseason games in 2024, and has been named to the league’s All-Star Classic in each of his first two full seasons. In his graduate season with Western Michigan, he also led the entire NCAA in goals with 26 in 38 games.

Frank, who signed a two-year, $1.55MM extension in June to avoid restricted free agency last summer, will debut on the third line with Lars Eller and Taylor Raddysh, head coach Spencer Carbery said. It’s a fitting promotion for Frank, whose 20 goals in 35 games in Hershey this year rank second in the AHL.

Down goes Miroshnichenko, who had been up in the NHL since mid-November. The 20-year-old has been a healthy scratch with increasing frequency, though, only playing twice since New Year’s.

Washington’s first-rounder in 2022, Miroshnichenko has four points in 18 games in 2024-25 and 10 points in 39 games including last season’s totals. The 6’1″ Russian winger averaged just 9:21 per game during this season’s call-up.

Miroshnichenko was off to a hot start in Hershey before being added to the Caps’ roster, posting 14 points in 16 games. He’ll look to continue that momentum now as he waits for his next NHL opportunity.

With the moves, Washington’s active roster remains at the 23-player maximum.

Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko, Move Alex Ovechkin To IR

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The Capitals have recalled 2022 first-round pick Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey, per a team announcement. They had a full active roster, so captain Alex Ovechkin heads to injured reserve in a corresponding move after being ruled out yesterday on a week-to-week basis with a lower leg injury. Winger Sonny Milano, who’s out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, also shifted from IR to LTIR to give the Caps additional space in their LTIR pool.

It’s unlikely that Miroshnichenko will slide into the first-line left-wing spot vacated by his countryman’s injury, but the 20-year-old deserves the recall after a hot start on the farm. The 6’1″ winger is second on Hershey in scoring with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 16 games, improving wildly on a per-game basis over last season’s nine goals and 25 points in 47 AHL games.

Miroshnichenko, the 20th overall pick two years ago, got his first NHL action last season. He made 21 appearances for the Caps amid several call-ups, scoring twice and adding four assists for six points with a -4 rating. He was limited to middle-six minutes, averaging 12:08 per game with minimal special teams time. However, he positively impacted their even-strength possession numbers and finished fourth on the team in hits per 60 minutes with 11.76.

He’ll likely make his season debut tomorrow against the Avalanche alongside fresh trade acquisition Lars Eller and Jakub Vrána on the Caps’ third line if line rushes at today’s practice were any indication. Hendrix Lapierre will likely remain a healthy scratch, while Miroshnichenko should also get some reps on Washington’s second power-play unit, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

The IR placement rules Ovechkin out for at least the Capitals’ next two games, but his absence will be more prolonged than that. Milano, who hasn’t played since Nov. 6 with his UBI, is now ineligible to return before their Nov. 30 game against the Devils and will miss at least five more contests. He has no points and a -3 rating in three appearances this season amid the injury and a lengthy run of healthy scratches.

Capitals Reassign Ivan Miroshnichenko, Andrew Cristall

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The Capitals have sent left-winger Ivan Miroshnichenko to AHL Hershey and returned left-winger Andrew Cristall to the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, the team announced. Both were hoping to crack Washington’s opening night roster on the backs of solid training camp performances but will need to wait another year.

Miroshnichenko, 20, made his NHL debut last season and was shuttled between leagues for most of the 2024 calendar year. He’s still waiver-exempt with 138 games played and two professional seasons remaining until he loses that status.

He was drafted by the Capitals in the first round of the 2022 draft while dealing with a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis that he’s since beaten. After returning to health during the 2022-23 season, he signed his entry-level pact with Washington and came to North America for the 2023-24 campaign. He started the year in Hershey, totaling nine goals and 25 points in 47 games. He was much-improved in playoff action, contributing 12 points in 20 contests to help Hershey to its second straight Calder Cup championship.

The sharp-shooting winger didn’t look entirely out of place in NHL action last year, either. He made 21 regular-season appearances, totaling two goals and six points – a 23-point pace over 82 games, averaging 12:08 a night. He posted a -4 rating with a subpar 42.4 xGF% at even strength but did manage to control 47.6% of shot attempts, 2.7% more than the Caps controlled without him on the ice in his appearances. The 6’1″, 185-lb Russian flashed some physical play, too, recording 50 hits for an average of 2.38 per game.

While neither move is surprising, Cristall’s return to Kelowna is wholly expected. He made it much further in camp than most expected him to one year after being selected 40th overall in the 2023 draft, a testament to the dynamic offensive upside many teams let slip through the cracks. The 19-year-old Vancouver native has produced over a point per game in three straight WHL seasons and finished fifth in the league in scoring last season with 111 points (40 G, 71 A) in 62 games.

However, Cristall still needs to round out his defensive game before he’s ready for NHL ice. While Washington likely would have preferred to send him to Hershey to do that this year, he’s too young for a full-time AHL assignment and needed to be returned to the Rockets. As such, his entry-level contract will slide to the 2025-26 season, and he won’t count against Washington’s 50-contract limit this season.

The moves strongly indicate that Jakub Vrána, who attended Capitals camp on a professional tryout, has landed a contract. They’re likely waiting to make some minor moves to make an official announcement, but they have just 11 healthy forwards on their roster after sending down Cristall and Miroshnichenko.

Capitals Assign Seven Players To The AHL

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One day after being swept by the New York Rangers, the Washington Capitals announced that they’ve assigned seven players to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Washington’s AHL affiliate is the top seed and are the defending Calder Cup champions.

The Capitals loaned goaltender Mitchell Gibson, forwards Ivan Miroshnichenko and Hendrix Lapierre, as well as defensemen Lucas Johansen, Vincent Iorio, Dylan McIlrath, and Hardy Haman Aktell to the Bears. The group will have an opportunity to make a deep playoff run in Hershey. Iorio, Johansen, Lapierre, and McIlrath were all part of Hershey’s Calder Cup championship team from last season.

Of the players being assigned to Hersey only Lapierre and Miroshnichenko played more than 20 NHL games this season. Lapierre dressed in 51 games for Washington posting eight goals and 14 assists as well as a goal and an assist in four playoff games. He tallied his first career postseason goal last night with a beautiful individual effort that tied the game at two.

Miroshnichenko dressed in 21 games with Washington this year, posting two goals and four assists. The 20-year-old was the Capitals first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and appeared mostly in the AHL this season where he had nine goals and 16 assists in 47 games.

Iorio, Johansen, and Aktell all appeared in six games for Washington this season, while McIlrath dressed in three NHL games. Gibson didn’t see NHL action this year and spent most of the season in the ECHL, aside from two games with the Bears.

Hershey opens their Atlantic Division Semifinals series against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday at GIANT Center. Lehigh Valley swept the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in two games this past weekend and will be a big underdog against the Bears, especially with all the reinforcements that Washington has sent down.

Morning Notes: USA Hockey, Milano, Lomberg

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USA Hockey has rounded out its coaching staff for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, announcing four assistant coaches to serve behind head coach John Hynes. The new additions include Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, Ottawa Senators associate coach Jack Capuano, Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Ty Hennes, and U17 NTDP head coach Greg Moore.

This is, most notably, a big step in Lalonde’s ever-growing involvement with USA Hockey. He made his World Championship debut as an assistant coach for last year’s squad, serving as a part of Team USA’s fourth-place finish behind leading scorer Rocco Grimaldi. Lalonde’s only international appearances before that tournament were at the World Junior-A Challenge in 2013 and 2014, first serving as an assistant and then taking on the head coaching role. USA took home Gold in both of those tournaments, on the back of strong performances from Vinnie Hinostroza and Nick Schmaltz. Lalonde will look to rekindle that success as he heads to the main stage for the second year in a row, regrouping with his Detroit starter Alex Lyon on the Team USA lineup.

This news also marks the first time that Hennes and Moore have coached for the Men’s National Team. Both are young coaches who have climbed the ranks of the coaching circuit over the last few years. Success at the World Championship would only provide more wind behind their sails.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Winger Sonny Milano shared that he’s good to go for Game Three, after missing Thursday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, shares NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). Gulitti also shared that Capitals rookie Ivan Miroshnichenko is expected to make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut on Friday. Miroshnichenko played in the first 21 NHL games of his career this season, recording two goals, six points, six penalty minutes, and a -4. He also recorded 25 points in 47 AHL games. He’ll step in for Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who hasn’t scored through Washington’s first two playoff games. The Capitals trail the New York Rangers 2-0 in the Round One series.
  • Florida Panthers bruiser Ryan Lomberg is still feeling under the weather after missing the team’s last two games to illness. He is expected to remain out of the lineup in Game Four, with Kyle Okposo remaining on the fourth-line in his place, head coach Paul Maurice shared with Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Okposo played in his first playoff game since 2016 on Thursday, recording one assist in a game where the fourth line stood out. It was the first point of Okposo’s seven-game career with the Panthers. He now gets a chance to continue making an impact, and might even solidify his spot in the lineup with another strong performance.

Red Wings And Capitals Have Decisions Looming On Key Youngsters

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Generally speaking, most of the notable contractual elements that could come into play for key prospects occur at the beginning of the season.  However, that isn’t the case for the Red Wings and Capitals who are facing decisions on a pair of promising wingers.  For Detroit, Jonatan Berggren is one game away from becoming waiver-eligible while for Washington, Ivan Miroshnichenko is one game away from officially activating the first year of his entry-level contract.

Berggren was a regular for Detroit last season and fared pretty well, picking up 15 goals and 13 assists in 37 games while playing in their middle six.  However, GM Steve Yzerman opted to make several additions up front over the summer, pushing the 23-year-old to the outside looking in at a regular spot in the lineup.

Instead of keeping him as a spare forward, the Red Wings decided to send Berggren to AHL Grand Rapids and kept him there for most of the season.  Through 43 games with the Griffins, he has done quite well, scoring 19 goals while adding 47 assists.  That has earned Berggren a brief stint with the big club where he has been productive in limited action, notching two goals and four helpers in a dozen games despite averaging less than 11 minutes a night.

Berggren was papered to Grand Rapids at the trade deadline and subsequently recalled, permitting him to return to the Griffins.  The only way they can do that is by not playing him in another game with Detroit.  Grand Rapids is well-positioned to make the playoffs this season so there’s a case to make that his development would be best served by a long postseason run with them over being on the fringes of the NHL lineup while the Red Wings are trying to hold onto the last Wild Card spot in the East.

Detroit elected to punt on the decision for today as they scratched Berggren against Buffalo but they will have to make a call on either playing him and keeping him up for the rest of the season or sending him down for the rest of the year.

As for Miroshnichenko, he has played in nine games for the Capitals so far this season and as a junior-aged player, the ten-game mark is critical as he would officially burn the first year of his contract.  If he doesn’t, the year would slide and he would still have three seasons left on that deal – at a slightly lower cap hit – heading into 2024-25.

The 20-year-old is in his first season in North America after spending his post-draft campaign split between Russia’s junior league and two professional leagues after recovering from cancer.  The bulk of that campaign was spent in the KHL with Avangard Omsk who agreed to terminate his deal after the season ended, allowing him to join Washington’s system.

Miroshnichenko has spent the majority of this season with AHL Hershey and has done relatively well, collecting nine goals and 16 assists through 47 games so far.  That has earned him a handful of recalls, the most recent of which came nearly three weeks ago.  Miroshnichenko has been a regular the last couple of weeks, getting him to that nine-game mark where he has two goals while averaging nearly 12 minutes a night.

Washington will soon need to decide if their playoff push (they sit one point out of the last Wild Card spot heading into today) is best aided with Miroshnichenko in the lineup or if they should be taking the longer view and sending him back down to get the extra cheap year on his contract.  Either way, unlike Berggren, Miroshnichenko will be able to return to Hershey whether it’s in the coming days or at the end of their season as he’ll remain waiver-exempt either way.  Set to play Vancouver later today, Washington will have to make the decision soon unless they want to push the decision back a couple of days by making him a healthy scratch.

It’s not often that decisions like this come up this late in a season but for Detroit and Washington, they’ll have to make a call on their youngsters in the near future.

Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko

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The Capitals have recalled winger Ivan Miroshnichenko ahead of tonight’s game against the Senators, per a statement from GM Brian MacLellan. Miroshnichenko could play instead of winger Anthony Mantha, who departed Saturday’s game against the Panthers with an undisclosed injury. However, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports that Mantha is wearing a normal jersey at this morning’s practice.

Miroshnichenko, 20, was the 20th overall selection in the 2022 draft out of the KHL’s Avangard Omsk organization. The 6-foot-1 sniper signed his entry-level contract last May after beating Hodgkin’s lymphoma during the latter half of his draft year and has gotten his first taste of North American hockey this season. He has nine goals, 16 assists and 25 points with a +15 rating through 47 games with the AHL-best Hershey Bears. He made his NHL debut as part of a four-game stint on the roster in late December, recording a -3 rating and six shots on goal while averaging 10:23 per game.

It’s clear he’s not quite ready for a full-time NHL role, but he’s trending nicely in his first pro season this side of the Atlantic. He has a goal and three assists in his last 10 outings for Hershey.

Dobber Prospects has Miroshnichenko ranked as the fourth-best prospect in Washington’s system, slightly behind Boston College star winger Ryan Leonard, burgeoning full-time center Connor McMichael, and high-ceiling 2023 draft pick Andrew Cristall.

The Capitals’ 23-man roster is full, so a corresponding transaction is necessary to recall Miroshnichenko. T.J. Oshie is listed as out with a lower-body injury sustained Feb. 22 against the Lightning with no timeline for a return but remains on the active roster, so he’ll likely be designated for injured reserve to create a roster spot.

Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard, Assign Ivan Miroshnichenko To Minors

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With Charlie Lindgren exiting Friday’s contest early with an upper-body injury and the Capitals back in action tonight versus Nashville, a move needed to be made to get another goalie on the active roster.  That move has now been made as the team announced that goaltender Hunter Shepard has been recalled while winger Ivan Miroshnichenko has been sent back to AHL Hershey.

Shepard made his first two NHL appearances earlier this season, picking up a pair of wins against division rivals while stopping 54 of 59 shots.  The 28-year-old has spent the bulk of the campaign in the minors with the Bears, getting into 16 games where he has a 2.28 GAA and a .908 SV%.  He also has 14 victories, good for the second-most in the AHL.  He’ll serve as Darcy Kuemper’s backup in Lindgren’s absence.

As for Miroshnichenko, the 19-year-old made his NHL debut just before the holiday break and has played in four games with Washington so far.  He’s still looking for his first point at the top level while averaging a little over ten minutes a night of ice time.  The 20th pick in 2022, Miroshnichenko has eight goals and seven assists in 27 games with Hershey, his first taste of NHL action.  As long as he plays in fewer than ten games at the top level, Miroshnichenko won’t burn the first year of his contract this season, meaning he’ll still have three years left on his entry-level agreement heading into 2024-25.  Accordingly, expect the Capitals to limit his NHL action over the final few months of the season.

Meanwhile, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press points out (Twitter link) that winger Max Pacioretty remains on LTIR, at least for now.  The veteran has been speculated to potentially be available for tonight’s contest.  Washington would have to make another roster move to open up a spot for Pacioretty’s potential activation if he is indeed cleared.  The easiest way to do that could be moving Martin Fehervary to IR if he’s going to miss a week or more after sustaining an upper-body injury of his own last night.

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