The Washington Capitals have several prospects at this year’s training camp looking to find their way onto the team’s roster on a more permanent basis. While the Capitals are intent on bringing back most of their East-best roster from last year, there will be a couple of spots up for grabs for those players.
One of the primary contenders is the team’s 2022 first-round draft selection, winger Ivan Miroshnichenko. The 21-year-old Russian was placed on a line with Capitals regulars Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson to begin camp by head coach Spencer Carbery.
“I thought he had a good day,” Carbery said Thursday. “I told that to him. I thought he looked good on that line. I thought he fit in. I thought he did some of the things that Miro needs to do to be an effective NHL player and be an everyday NHL player. I saw a few of those little habits that we talked about before practice.
“I think he’s earned an opportunity to get an opportunity like that, on a line like that, to start training camp. Where it goes from there, I’m not sure, but hoping that he takes advantage of a good opportunity to play with two pretty good players.”
Miroshnichenko is one of the more experienced youngsters at camp this fall, already playing 39 games for the Capitals over the past two seasons. However, he has been unable to completely graduate out of the AHL, where he has played 100 games for the Hershey Bears.
The Ussuriysk native ended the 2024-25 campaign as Hershey’s leading goal scorer, scoring 23 goals in 53 games. He finished third in overall scoring in both the regular season with 42 points (23g, 19a) and in the playoffs with five points (3g, 2a) in eight games.
“He’s worked hard,” Carbery said. “He’s been in the organization now for a number of years. And so big training camp for Miro to prove that he can be an effective everyday NHL player.”
Miroshnichenko is expected to compete with names like Hendrix Lapierre, Ethen Frank, Bodgan Trineyev, Andrew Cristall, and Henrik Rybinski to stay with the Capitals at the end of the preseason. General manager Chris Patrick spoke about the competition earlier this week and remarked how it could be the hardest in a few years.
“I think we’re at a point here where we have a number of young players that are kind of knocking on the door, and it’s time to give them an opportunity,” Patrick said. “I was joking in the office, it feels like this is the most opportunity we’ve had in a camp for someone to come in and earn a spot. And there’s maybe like one and a half spots available. It’s going to be a dog fight.
“I think we’re in a really good spot. A lot of guys coming back from a really good team. And I think maybe one or two young guys are going to have to push here to try to be an everyday NHLer.”
Miroshnichenko will get his first chance to impress Carbery and the rest of the Capitals’ brass when he lines up in the team’s first preseason game against the Boston Bruins on Sunday evening. At the last skate before the game, Carbery placed Miroshnichenko on a familiar line with Trineyev and Rybinski.
The three were regular linemates in Hershey last season under head coach Todd Nelson. Miroshnichenko should also receive time on any power plays the Capitals get and will likely play the role that Alex Ovechkin usually plays as the top trigger man on the team’s first unit.
