HERSHEY, PA — The Hershey Bears will receive a huge boost to their lineup against the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday night. The Bears expect their leading goal-scorer from last season, Ivan Miroshnichenko, to make his return to game action, pending final clearance from team trainers.
The talented Russian forward fully practiced with the team on Tuesday, skating on a line with Ilya Protas and Bogdan Trineyev. Protas leads the team in points early in the season with 10 (5g, 5a) while Trineyev (4g, 5a) is in a three-way tie for second with 9.
The Bears, who have won four in a row, were on the ice at Giant Center for nearly 90 minutes, working through a variety of game-situation drills.
Miroshnichenko traveled with the Bears to Cleveland by bus on Wednesday. The team plays the Monsters on Thursday and Saturday before returning home to face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday.
Miroshnichenko’s prolonged absence to start the year follows his best season as a pro, when he posted 42 points in 53 AHL games during the 2024-25 campaign. The Ussuriysk, Russia native scored a career-high 23 goals for the Bears and notched two different hat tricks during the season. Miroshnichenko also had four points (1g, 3a) in 18 appearances with the Capitals.
The Capitals’ 2022 first-round pick played in Hershey’s first two games of the 2025-26 season, but has missed the last 12 after suffering an upper-body injury during a Bears practice the week of October 12. Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, said during a team telecast that the winger slammed hard into the boards.
Miroshnichenko traveled with the team to Syracuse last Friday and took the morning skate, returning to the ice for the first time in a month. He’s made positive progress since then, prompting the scheduled return.
Despite a new coach, roster turnover, and NHL call-ups (Ethen Frank), Hershey has jumped out to a 9-4-1 record early in the year and sits fourth in the Atlantic Division with 19 standings points.
