Washington’s Russian trump card? Miroshnichenko will make his NHL debut and try to revive Ovechkin

Washington’s Russian trump card? Miroshnichenko will make his NHL debut and try to revive Ovechkin

Pavel Panyshev December 19, 2023, 21:30 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.

They are looking for a new young partner for Alexandra, but for now Ivan is training with another trio.

Today it became known that Washington called up 19-year-old Russian forward Ivan Miroshnichenko from the AHL to the main team. Also called up from the AHL club Hershey Bears is forward Hendrix Lapierre.

This season, Miroshnichenko participated in 27 American Hockey League games, where he scored 15 points, scored eight goals and had seven assists. Let us remind you that Miroshnichenko was selected by the Washington Capitals in the first round, 20th overall, in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

The Russian participated in three NHL preseason games, in which he recorded two assists and two penalty minutes. Ivan has never participated in a regular NHL championship game. And it seems that he waited for his opportunity.

How Miroshnichenko was received in the United States

Photo

“Crush the wild.” An American fan dedicated a poster in Russian to Miroshnichenko

“Miró started very well in Hershey. His level of play was excellent and he also highlighted his level of involvement. He is happy when they win, he wants to play and score. When his teammates score, he gets excited. For me, it was really nice to see, because this is the level of support you want to see from your potential top prospects,” Washington Capitals assistant general manager Chris Patrick gave Ivan this description in the AHL.

Ivan Miroshnichenko

Photo: AP/TASS

In fact, Miroshnichenko can serve as an example for many. The man overcame a serious illness, returned to a high level, headed to North America and, of course, earned the trust of the people of the “metropolitan” system. Furthermore, in this club Russians are known and respected.

Washington’s home game against the Islanders will be played Thursday night Moscow time. Spencer Carbury’s team is in a desperate fight for the playoff spot, currently tied with Detroit with 34 points and ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference in additional metrics.

How Ovechkin took care of Miroshnichenko

Miroshnichenko is already scoring points in Washington! Ovechkin takes care of him on the ice and in the locker room

Unfortunately, the game is not going well for Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin. We do not rule out that Miroshnichenko’s call from the AHL is also related to revitalizing Ovi and giving him vigor.

For now, the young forward is training on the third line alongside Lapierre and Kuznetsov, but it is possible that during the match there will be certain changes in the lines by decision of the coaching staff.

Also, let’s not forget that it was Ovechkin who initially sponsored his younger teammate, and with that support the only thing left is to reach a new level and improve regularly. Let’s see how Miroshnichenko performs in the first NHL meeting (hopefully nothing changes) and how much ice time he has left. But in any case, you can and should be happy for the young man.