Screen cap: KHL TV
Washington Capitals prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko scored his first career goal in the KHL on Monday. The goal came at 16:24 of the first period in Avangard’s tilt with Barys Astana.
Welcome to the big stage, kid!
18-year-old Ivan Miroshnichenko scores first KHL career goal! pic.twitter.com/v4NZI7g7Qa
— KHL (@khl_eng) December 26, 2022
Miroshnichenko finished Monday’s game with a goal on two shots. He had one hit in 8:19 of ice time.
“I dedicate this goal to my family and loved ones, after all, a difficult path has passed. We were all together, no one left me,” Miroshnichenko told the media following the game.
“I think we can already say that I have adapted to the KHL. Probably, I have earned the coaches trust, so I can play more and more with each match.”
Miroshnichenko has now played in seven games in the KHL and averaged seven minutes of ice time. He has primarily started at left wing on the 4th line, as he did on Monday, but has played one game at left wing on the third line.
Miroshnichenko has had a very productive month of hockey after returning from his treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. On December 4 he made the next big step in his hockey career, starting for Avangard’s KHL team. It was his first game ever played in Russia’s top league.
Ivan Miroshnichenko receives his first goal puck and the player of the game award. #ALLCAPS [🎥: Avangard/KHL] pic.twitter.com/zpaG0DFDpz
— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 27, 2022
Miroshnichenko was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in February, but was cleared by doctors to return to skating and workouts after successfully completing a course of treatment in Germany back in June.
Pics from Ivan Miroshnichenko’s first goal in KHL. #ALLCAPS [📷: Avangard/KHL] pic.twitter.com/O4B9LktZAi
— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 26, 2022
Capitals assistant general manager Ross Mahoney told NHL.com that Washington’s medical staff examined Miroshnichenko’s health records, and that he felt good about the player’s status following a video conference with him in May.
“I was in Germany in April at the Under-18 World Championship and met Ivan and his father,” Mahoney said. “I think he was already in his second round of chemotherapy, and he had lost a lot of weight, lost his hair, and he was wearing a cap. He looked really thin and I thought, ‘What a tough situation.’ Then we did a Zoom call with him in May when he was finishing up his treatments, and he looked a lot better.”
The Capitals ultimately selected Miroshnichenko in the first round (#20 overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft held on July 7.
By Jon Sorensen
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Way to go Miro!
Nasty wrister by Miro.
Wooooooooo!
His cellys remind me of someone.
After listening to the Russian announcer, #63 definitely needs to go the Pele route and just be Miro.
Shane Gersich has worn 63 for the Caps recently. I’d like to see Miro in 88 (which Nardella has worn) as kind of an homage to the Great 8.
#88 will always remind me of a certain Flyer, and those mid-90s battles.
Can’t recall offhand who else in the NHL has worn #88, though I believe there’s been a couple. The only number retired league wide is #99, for obvious reasons.
Thank you IIHF, for punishing a group of boys playing hockey, and not allowing them to participate in the WJC. Hope all of you got a lump of coal in your stockings.
My guess is Miro would have worn the C, if Russia were allowed to compete
Personally feel Miro is getting better development in KHL games. He’s butting heads with men, not teenagers, and former NHL’ers.
True, but how many minutes/game is he getting in the KHL? I’d think taking two weeks off to compete against the world’s best teenagers, and getting top line minutes, wouldn’t be detrimental to him. As opposed to getting 8 minutes/game on the 4th line in the KHL. A lot of players up their games in the bright lights of international play.
Having watched a couple of his KHL games, he belongs, is laying hits to grown men. They are increasing his minutes as his conditioning improves. I don’t believe he would play substantially more time in juniors, due to conditioning program he is on. Junior hockey would be a step backwards at this point.