Ivan Miroshnichenko, the Capitals’ first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, will make his NHL debut on Wednesday night against the New York Islanders.
Miroshnichenko is thought to have learned of his first NHL call-up on Monday, when he left Hershey for DC in the afternoon.
The Russian rookie skated with the Capitals on Tuesday morning, along with fellow call-up Hendrix Lapierre. Shortly after the skate, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery invited Miroshnichenko and his translator for the meeting, Belorussian forward Aliaksei Protas, into his office.
Miroshnichenko, who has eight goals and 15 points in 27 games for AHL Hershey, was on the Bears’ first line when he was called up.
“I’m nervous because, basically, I went through so many circumstances and different situations in my life,” Miroshnichenko said, referring to his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “I’ve worked for that my entire life, and everyone is nervous, including my family.” “I’m so excited for tomorrow.”
Carbery’s positioning concerns are most likely related to his healthy scratch in mid-November, when Todd Nelson had the left winger sit upstairs with Dmitry Osipov to better understand his role without the puck.
“In all reports, talking to Todd Nelson yesterday, he’s shown signs of improvement through the process down there,” Carbery said in a statement.
“Obviously, we’re aware of his offensive ability and scoring ability down there. It’s his play away from the puck, his in-game details. Those have improved over time.
