This past summer the Washington Capitals selected Russian forward, Ivan Miroshnichenko, with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. The supremely talented winger has had an incredibly tough journey this past year as he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March and underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy treatment.
In recent months, the 18-year-old was able to get back on the ice for individual training as he worked his way back strength and conditioning-wise before the league officially cleared him for team training. All of that hard work led to Friday’s Omsk Krylia practice where Miroshnichenko made his return.
Omsk Krylia serves as KHL team Avangard Omsk’s VHL affiliate. The Russian VHL league basically serves as the AHL equivalent for the KHL. They posted a video of Miroshnichenko participating in their practice, with the young forward stating, “Hi everyone, glad to be back!”.
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The 18-year-old offensive dynamo has been a part of the Avangard Omsk organization since the 2020-21 season. Before his 2021-22 season was derailed by his diagnosis, he was playing for Omsk Krylia in the VHL. He had tallied 16 points (10g, 6a) in 31 games.
He has been back on the ice for quite some time now but was waiting for that full league clearance to be able to rejoin the team’s actual roster. In mid-September, Capitals assistant general manager Ross Mahoney talked a little about that process.
“He’s progressing, he’s skating, he’s working out. He’s not with his KHL team right now,” Mahoney said. “He’s been cleared by doctors to go out, to work out, and to do those sorts of things. He has to wait for the league to give the final medical clearance so that he can get with Omsk and participate.
“He’s been doing a lot on his own with his father,” Mahoney continued. “I think his father is a coach also. We’re happy with where he’s at health-wise. It’s so far, so good.”
As of right now, if things keep progressing in team practice, Miroshnichenko is slated to make his return to VHL games. If things go well there, it’s possible that he’ll see full KHL action at some stage this season for the first time in his career.
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Omsk Krylia currently sits 19th out of 26th teams in the VHL and have lost three games in a row. Similarly, Avangard Omsk has the third-worst point total in the KHL and are second to last in the Chernyshev Division.
Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk/RMNB
