Washington Capitals’ top 2022 draft selection Ivan Miroshnichenko is set for his KHL debut on Sunday with Avangard Omsk. The 18-year-old sniper has incredibly recorded 14 points (8g, 6a) over ten games across two different levels of Russian hockey this season after returning from Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatment.
The Russian winger got on the ice for practice Saturday with Avangard Omsk for the first time in preparation for the big debut.
The 2022 first-round draft pick has spent the majority of his return season in the MHL with the Omsk Hawks. The MHL is a junior league made up of players no older than 20. He has also played two games in the VHL, the KHL’s AHL equivalent, with the Omsk Wings.
It will be Miroshnichenko’s first foray into Russia’s top professional league. The 18-year-old forward is less than a year removed from being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and starting his treatment.
“I went through four cycles of chemotherapy,” Miroshnichenko told Match TV. “The second one was the most painful for me. I went to the hospital to lie down. I could no longer be at home. After the second course, they said that everything was clean. I went through the third and fourth courses of chemotherapy calmly, with joy.”
The Caps took a risk on his future health when taking him as high as they did in the most recent NHL draft. That is a risk that Miroshnichenko says he will make sure pays off.
“I will prove that [the Capitals] did not make a mistake with the choice,” Miroshnichenko said. “But this must be done step by step. And first, play in Russia. Climb the stairs – MHL, VHL, KHL, national team. Everything has its time. And whatever happens, it’s all for the best.”
Avangard Omsk will take on Traktor Chelyabinsk, Evgeny Kuznetsov’s old team, on Sunday at 6 am eastern here in the DMV. The December 4 matchup will be the first of three “rock-themed” games hosted at the team’s G-Drive Arena.
Let’s go Miro!
Screenshot via @avangard_inside/Instagram
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