Ivan Miroshnichenko is off to a hot start in his second full season in North America.
Coming into Friday night’s game against Bridgeport, the 20-year-old Russian is tied with Ethen Frank for the Hershey Bears’ lead in points with 14 (7g, 7a) in 14 games. He is also tied for the third most points in the AHL overall.
The young Russian’s seven goals put him on pace to score 36 this season if he plays in all 72 games for the Bears. That output is a demonstrable increase from the nine goals he put up in 47 games for Hershey last year.
Three of Miro’s goals have come with the Bears on a power play and the other four have all come at even strength. One of the goals was a game-winning marker, doubling his career total there.
Goal 1
HER vs. CLE (October 13, 2024)
Miroshnichenko’s first goal of the season came via a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle with the Bears up a man.
Goal 2
HER vs. CLE (October 13, 2024)
Miroshnichenko scored his second of the season in the same game, slamming home a slick feed from Henrik Rybinski.
Goal 3
HER vs. CLE (October 13, 2024)
Miroshnichenko completed his first career AHL hat trick with a lucky bounce off a defender’s skate.
Goal 4
HER at BRI (October 16, 2024)
Miroshnichenko made it four goals in two games with a snipe from the slot against the Islanders.
Goal 5
HER vs. CHI (October 20, 2024)
After going without a goal in Hershey’s first game against Chicago, Miroshnichenko finished off a nice bumper spot play on a Bears man advantage.
Goal 6
HER at PRO (October 27, 2024)
Miroshnichenko fired home the rebound of a hard Bogdan Trineyev shot for his sixth goal of the season.
Goal 7
HER at BRI (November 12, 2024)
With an absolute rocket of a one-timer, Miroshnichenko snapped a five-game streak without a goal.
Among all under-22-year-old players in the AHL, Miroshnichenko is the overall leader in scoring. His 14 points are one better than Joshua Roy’s 13 (7g, 6a) for the Laval Rocket.
Only one U22 player, Milwaukee’s Reid Schaefer, has more goals than Miroshnichenko. Schaefer has scored eight times this season but only recorded one assist in 12 games.
Top U22 AHL scorers
| Player | Games played | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Miroshnichenko (HER) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Joshua Roy (LAV) | 12 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Isak Rosen (ROC) | 12 | 4 | 9 | 13 |
| Luca Cagnoni (SJ) | 12 | 4 | 9 | 13 |
| Logan Mailloux (LAV) | 7 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| Samu Tuomaala (LV) | 12 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| Luca Del Bel Belluz (CLE) | 13 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Frank Nazar (RFD) | 10 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| Owen Beck (LAV) | 12 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| Denton Mateychuk (CLE) | 13 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
Before the season, Miroshnichenko joked about wanting to score “100, 500” goals in the NHL this year. He then gave a more serious answer of about 20.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery also discussed future goal-scoring hopes for Miroshnichenko during the preseason, expressing his desire to see the young winger eventually become a 25-30 goal player at the top level. While he’s not yet doing that in the NHL after being one of Washington’s final Training Camp cuts, his output with Hershey is right on target, if not exceeding those expectations in an AHL season.
Miroshnichenko will be back on the ice with the Bears on Friday night against the Bridgeport Islanders. He has two goals in Hershey’s previous two matchups against the Isles this season.
