Washington Capitals top forward prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko is back on the scoresheet in Russia. The 19-year-old offensive powerhouse got his first taste of regular KHL action this season with Avangard Omsk, scoring his first three goals in the league but has returned to the organization’s junior affiliate for their playoff run.
Miroshnichenko has gotten into five postseason games for the Omsk Hawks and put away his first goal in their Thursday matchup with Tolpar. He has four points (1g, 3a) in those five games.
The talented left wing struck with 10:51 remaining in the second period to tie up the second quarterfinal series game.
Иван Мирошниченко берется за дело 🦅#ЛигаСильных pic.twitter.com/enVuI8Q5ZM
— Молодежная Хоккейная Лига (@MHL_rus) March 23, 2023
Miroshnichenko received a cross-ice feed with the Hawks on a three-on-three rush into the offensive zone down a goal. The 2022 first-round draft selection got a little bit of a gift from the hockey gods as his attempted feed to the back post bounced into the open net off of a Tolpar defender.
It was a big goal in the game and a big goal personally for the dynamic young Russian as he had taken a big hit earlier in the game that saw him very slow to get up.
#ALLCAPS prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko got rocked here.
Komarov originally got a penalty, but after review, refs let him go. Clean hit.
Ivan is ok. 👊 #MHLplayoffs pic.twitter.com/Z7pDyqqMqV
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) March 23, 2023
The four-game goal drought before the marker is a very rare dry period for Miroshnichenko in the MHL this season. In 12 regular season games in the league, he potted 10 goals.
The 2022-23 campaign was Miroshnichenko’s first back post-treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It’s been an incredibly busy one for the young forward as he has tallied points at three different levels of Russian hockey. He is expected back for one more year in Russia and then he will be free to come stateside to play for either the Caps or in their minor league system.
Screenshot via @MHL_rus/Twitter
