Washington Capitals Activate Tom Wilson
According to Sammi Silber of DC Backcheck, the Washington Capitals have activated forward Tom Wilson from the injured reserve. Additionally, Silber shared that the team has reassigned forward Ivan Miroshnichenko to the AHL’s Hershey Bears in a corresponding roster move.
Wilson’s return has been a long time coming for the Capitals. He has resumed skating for the last several days, but Washington’s medical staff was unwilling to give a green light for his return until now.
The former Stanley Cup champion had been nursing a lower-body injury since the beginning of January. In a game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Wilson fell awkwardly into the boards after being on the receiving end of a reverse hit from defenseman Connor Murphy, seemingly hurting his ankle in the process.
Washington will warmly welcome back their leading scorer this season. Named to Team Canada for the upcoming Winter Olympics, Wilson has scored 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games for the Capitals this season with a +20 rating.
Although there is an argument for defenseman Jakob Chychrun, Wilson has been the Capitals’ most complete player this season. Besides being tied with Alex Ovechkin for the team lead in scoring, Wilson is leading Washington in hits (110) and CorsiFor% at even strength (56.8%).
Meanwhile, Miroshnichenko, 21, will return to a familiar place. The former first-round pick was originally recalled five days ago. He appeared in two games for the Capitals over that stretch, going scoreless with a +1 rating, averaging 11:16 of ice time per game.
Outside of a few appearances in the NHL this year, Miroshnichenko has continued his streak of quality play in the AHL. He’s currently eighth on the Bears in scoring with six goals and 16 points in 20 games.
Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko, Place Justin Sourdif On IR
According to a team announcement, the Washington Capitals have recalled Ivan Miroshnichenko from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. In a corresponding roster move, the Capitals placed Justin Sourdif on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Miroshnichenko’s story in Washington is well known at this point. The Capitals selected Miroshnichenko with the 20th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, and he spent the following season with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk, scoring three goals and one assist in 23 games.
Despite the tepid scoring output, Washington brought Miroshnichenko to North America beginning in the 2023-24 season. He’s been a terrific scorer with AHL Hershey, but has failed to break out in any meaningful way with the Capitals.
In his first professional season in North America, Miroshnichenko finished with two goals and six points in 21 games with Washington, typically placed in a middle-six role while averaging 12:08 of ice time per night. Still, he showed quality production with the Bears, scoring nine goals and 25 points in 47 games. Additionally, after scoring seven goals and 12 points in 20 postseason contests, Miroshnichenko helped Hershey win its second consecutive Calder Cup championship.
Since then, he’s been largely isolated to an AHL role. He’s scored one goal and four points in 20 games for the Capitals over the last two years, usually being confined to a bottom-six role. Regardless, he’s kept up his strong performance in the AHL, scoring 29 goals and 58 points in his past 73 games.
Meanwhile, Sourdif formally heads to the IR after missing Washington’s last several games. He took a puck to the face in the Capitals’ recent loss to the Nashville Predators on January 11th. It was unfortunate timing for Sourdif, who had scored six goals and 12 points in 13 games leading up to the injury.
Capitals Activate Ryan Leonard, Reassign Ivan Miroshnichenko, Two Out
5:45 p.m.: Wilson has been downgraded to out after being designated as a game-time decision earlier in the day per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Sonny Milano will step onto the fourth-line, while Leonard will takes Wilson’s spot on the second-line in his return from injury. Washington will also be without defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who is out with an upper-body injury per Silber. He will be replaced by Declan Chisholm.
4:30 p.m.: The Washington Capitals will get a big piece back in Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers. Winger Ryan Leonard has been activated off of injured reserve after missing the last seven games with upper-body injuries sustained on December 5th. He was originally expected to miss three-to-four weeks, a timeline he falls right in line with. To make room for Leonard’s return, the Capitals have also assigned winger Ivan Miroshnichenko back to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Leonard’s return could be a big boost to the Capitals offense. The 21-year-old winger was finding another step in the NHL before he went down with injury. He scored seven points in his last five games, including the first four-point game of his NHL career. Leonard is now up to seven goals and 18 points in 29 games this season, putting him on pace for 47 points if he plays out the rest of the season. The rookie has been a major addition to a Capitals team that was already firing on all cylinders. Washington ranks 10th in the league in goals scored this season, and could rise up those ranks with the return of a player who scored 30 goals in 37 games in the NCAA’s Hockey East last season.
Meanwhile, Miroshnichenko will return to the AHL after playing two games in Leonard’s absence. He recorded three shots on net and four hits in those contests. Miroshnichenko is still searching for his groove at the top flight after posting 10 points in 39 NHL games over the last two seasons. He’s been a much bigger factor for Hershey, where he’s climbed into a top-six role and has nine points and 21 penalty minutes in 12 games this season. Miroshnichenko entered the season with 67 points in 100 AHL games to his name. He will continue to serve a scoring role in the minors, and hope for better outcomes next time he’s called up.
How Washington’s lineup will look on Tuesday still isn’t entirely clear. Both Leonard and winger Tom Wilson were designated as game-time decisions by head coach Spencer Carbery, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. No word has come through on Wilson’s availability. Leonard will step into Miroshnichenko’s spot in the bottom-six.
Capitals Recall Ivan Miroshnichenko, Reassign Bogdan Trineyev
The Capitals announced they’ve recalled winger Ivan Miroshnichenko from AHL Hershey and returned winger Bogdan Trineyev to Hershey in the corresponding move. Washington’s active roster remains at the 23-player limit.
The Caps have been dipping into the minor-league depth since Ryan Leonard went down with a shoulder injury earlier this month. Trineyev was the name to get recalled in the immediate aftermath. Although he’s remained on the active roster since, his playing time has been limited with just two appearances.
Those games, a Dec. 13 showing against the Jets and yesterday’s outing against the Maple Leafs, were the first two outings of Trineyev’s NHL career. The 23-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2020 and had notched 50 points and a +32 rating in 143 career appearances for Hershey before the recall.
Trineyev held his own in a fourth-line role but didn’t really move the needle. Averaging 10:32 per game, he managed three shot attempts, two blocks, and a hit, but didn’t get on the scoresheet. He was part of a dominant defensive effort with linemates Brandon Duhaime and Nic Dowd, only allowing 1.06 xGA/60 at 5-on-5.
Perhaps there’s a place for the 6’3″, 203-lb winger down the line as a cheap fourth-line option, but he’s not a roster lock yet. He’ll return to Hershey, where he’s tracking for a career year offensively with 12 points in 16 games.
Miroshnichenko, Washington’s first-round pick in 2022, gets his first NHL look of the season in his countryman’s wake. The 6’1″ sniper has gotten lengthy looks on the Caps’ roster in each of his first two seasons in North America, logging 21 appearances in 2023-24 and 18 last year. He’s got a 3-7–10 scoring line and a -3 rating to show for it across 39 games.
The 21-year-old has been a top-scoring presence for Hershey since his arrival over two years ago, and that hasn’t changed in 2025-26. Miroshnichenko missed half their schedule with an injury but has been productive when in the lineup, notching four goals and nine points in 12 games. He’ll look to keep that momentum up in a familiar depth scoring role, presumably until Leonard returns in the next couple of weeks.
Capitals Sign Ivan Miroshnichenko To Two-Year Extension
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
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
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
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
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
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.