The last time Ivan Miroshnichenko was in Washington, the Capitals forward wasn’t allowed to get on the ice. Washington had selected Miroshnichenko with the No. 20 pick in the 2022 draft, and while he came to the Capitals’ annual development camp and participated in off-ice activities, he wasn’t cleared to play hockey after undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
A year later, Miroshnichenko, 19, is cancer-free, fully healthy and impressing his development camp teammates — as well as the fans who have gathered at Washington’s practice facility for a glimpse of Miroshnichenko on the ice.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Russian winger has regained the weight he lost during his treatments, then added more as he prepares for his first season in North America. In May, Miroshnichenko terminated his contract with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, clearing his path to sign early with Washington, and he inked his three-year entry-level contract with the Capitals immediately after.
“It’s been my dream to play in the NHL,” Miroshnichenko said through an interpreter. “I’m just pursuing my dream. That’s the next step for me, so that’s why I made that decision.”
After being cleared for game action in November, Miroshnichenko quickly ascended from the Russian junior league and made his KHL debut in December. He scored his first KHL goal in his seventh appearance for Omsk and finished the season with three goals and one assist in 23 games — far from eye-popping numbers but a solid showing for a player still regaining his form, particularly in a league that doesn’t often give large opportunities to teenagers.
Welcome to the big stage, kid!
— KHL (@khl_eng) December 26, 2022
18-year-old Ivan Miroshnichenko scores first KHL career goal! pic.twitter.com/v4NZI7g7Qa
In development camp, Miroshnichenko has shown he is a powerful skater and skilled with the puck. He has a quick, hard shot that has given goaltenders trouble. Miroshnichenko hasn’t shied away from showing off his personality, either; he’s always willing to celebrate a goal or wave at his assembled audience.
“It’s quick. It’s a snap shot,” goaltender Mitchell Gibson said. “It’s funny — he got me pretty good on one of those breakaway shots at the end of practice. He’s a great kid off the ice, too. He’s a lot of fun. He’s creative, too. Feels like he’s a little bit of a wizard with the puck. He can do whatever he wants.”
Asked which NHL player he takes inspiration from when it comes to his shot, Miroshnichenko didn’t need an interpreter’s assistance for his answer.
“Alex Ovechkin — great shot,” he said with a smile.
As Miroshnichenko prepares for his first season in the Capitals organization, he expects his biggest adjustment to be learning English. Many players from the KHL take time to adapt to the smaller ice sheets in North America — an NHL rink is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, as opposed to the 100-foot-wide European rinks — but G-Drive Arena in Omsk has an NHL-size rink, so that’s one fewer hurdle.
Communicating with his teammates and coaches, though, will be a bigger challenge. In development camp, Miroshnichenko has leaned on Alexander Suzdalev, a Russia-born Swedish forward drafted in the third round last year, as an interpreter when they’re on the ice together. But when Miroshnichenko and Suzdalev are in separate groups, the difficulty rises.
“I have a tutor I’ve been spending some time with,” Miroshnichenko said. “But obviously, once I get here, once I get acclimated, it’ll be much easier for me.”
After his week at development camp, Miroshnichenko will head back to Russia for the rest of the summer before returning to Washington for rookie camp and training camp in September. The expectation is that Miroshnichenko will begin in the American Hockey League with the Hershey Bears, but with newly signed forward Max Pacioretty not expected to be healthy at the start of the season, there could be an opening for Miroshnichenko to earn a roster spot.
His plan is to do just that when the time comes.
“Of course my goal is to make the NHL team,” Miroshnichenko said. “Obviously, there are a lot of great players [and] a lot of veteran players on the team, so it will be difficult. But that’s my goal. That’s what I’m aiming for.”