A day after Lynden Lakovic picked up his first AHL point in his professional debut, another young Washington Capitals prospect followed up with a milestone of his own.
In the Hershey Bears’ 3-2 victory over the Charlotte Checkers, Petr Sikora scored his first AHL goal, finding the back of the net with 17 seconds remaining in the second period.
Petr Sikora’s first AHL goal
Sikora, a Capitals’ sixth-round pick (178th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, sent a huge one-timer past Checkers goaltender Tyler Muszelik after Andrew Cristall found him with a tremendous pass along the sideboards.
Sikora immediately pointed at Cristall after scoring, giving the talented winger credit for such a perfect Backstromian feed. Cristall, who collected two assists in the game after struggling in Saturday’s season opener, then skated over and fetched Sikora’s milestone puck off the ice.
After the game, newly installed captain Louie Belpedio presented Sikora with the team’s Bear Head as the Player of the Game.
“So, boys, good game,” Sikora said. “It’s a lot of things to work on but good game today, and enjoy it tonight!”
Not only did Sikora receive props inside the locker room, but he also got some kind words from Bears’ head coach Derek King at the podium after the victory.
“He’s actually a little more skilled than I give him credit for, but we don’t want to tell him that right now,” King joked. “But I was happy for him.”
The goal followed up a noticeable professional debut for the Czech centerman on Saturday night, where he created several chances by himself using his skating and stick-handling ability.
“Siki works hard,” King said. “He’s on pucks. He’s on the forecheck. He’s a little bit of a pest out there.”
Sikora arrived in Hershey this season after spending all of last year playing back home in the Czech Extraliga. His season got off to a delayed start after he suffered an injury during an August preseason game with HC Oceláři Třinec, but returned in October and recorded nine points (3g, 6a) in 24 regular-season games. He added two more points (1g, 1a) in 10 playoff games as Třinec advanced to the Czech Extraliga’s best-of-seven championship series, falling to the eventual champions, Dynamo Pardubice, four games to two.
Sikora’s most memorable moments, however, came internationally, where he captained Czechia to a silver medal at the 2026 World Junior Championship. Sikora finished the tournament with nine points (2g, 7a) in seven games, giving him 16 points across his final two World Juniors after helping Czechia win bronze the year before.
The Capitals signed the two-way centerman to a three-year entry-level contract in May, clearing the way for his move to North America and rookie season with the Bears.
