Another familiar face has returned to DC with a week to go until the start of training camp.
Ivan Miroshnichenko was back on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Thursday, becoming the most recent participant to join the Capitals’ informal skates. Other recent arrivals have included Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and Justin Sourdif.
Miroshnichenko, 21, will look to secure a full-time roster spot in Washington this season after spending much of the past two years in the AHL. He played 18 games for the Capitals in 2024-25, recording four points (1g, 3a) in that span, but was replaced by Ethen Frank in the later months of the season and returned to the Hershey Bears.
In June, general manager Chris Patrick told reporters that he thought Miroshnichenko could make a more permanent jump this season, though his role was far from guaranteed.
“I think Miro has a really good chance to make our NHL team next year,” Patrick said then. “I think he needs to come in and have a really good camp. I think he needs to show the NHL coaches he’s ready to take the next step. When he gets chances to score goals, get good shots on net, don’t bobble pucks, and really be on your game.
“As a young guy coming in, you basically don’t have a lot of room for error, right? So you’ve got to be sharp, and it’s not fair, but every guy on this team has gone through that. So, he needs to have that mindset where you need to be 100 percent dialed every shift of every practice, every shift of every exhibition game, and make it so Spencer is like, ‘I can’t take Miro off this line. I can’t take him out of the lineup. He needs to be here because our team’s worse without him in the lineup.’”
At the AHL level, Miroshnichenko found more success last season. Despite playing just 53 games for the Bears, Miroshnichenko scored a team-leading 23 goals and ranked third in overall scoring (42 points).
Miroshnichenko, who the Capitals drafted 20th overall in 2022, made his NHL debut in December 2023. He has one year remaining on his entry-level contract and is set to become a restricted free agent next July.
The Capitals will kick off training camp next week, with the first day of on-ice sessions scheduled for Thursday, September 18.
