Washington Capitals Draft: 5 reasons Ivan Miroshnichenko will take them to Stanley Cup

#4 He’s done it before

Miroshnichenko recorded nine points with four goals and five assists as captain of Team Russia to help them win the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup under 18 international tournament last August. Then he had 16 points with 10 goals and six assists in 31 games with Omsk Krylia before he got sick.

Miroshnichenko got cleared to resume training and told reporters he’s been on the ice about 10 times. Before he hopes to someday lead the Caps to glory, he plans on joining Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

He added:

“I feel healthy, but there’s still obviously … you look at my body of work on the ice and off the ice, there’s still a lot that you have to do to get to the level I was at.”

When Capitals assistant general manager Ross Mahoney talked to the media he said that the Caps medical staff examined Miroshnichenko’s health records and Mahoney was confident about where he was at after he met with him in Germany during the 2022 IIHF Under 18 World Championship back in April.

If Miroshnichenko has already experienced success in Russia and perhaps even more to come, he can certainly do the same by the time he is a full time NHL player.

#3 He’s a natural goal scorer

Miroshnichenko is not only a natural goalscorer but he can be that top six boost in the Caps pipeline that they need for the next couple of years.

Ross Mahoney told the media at the draft:

“This young man can put the puck in the net. Not just at his age group, but he will do it in the NHL.”

This isn’t the first time the Caps decided to take a risk on someone in the draft. And like the last one, this risk is sure to pay off. In 2020 the Caps took Hendrix Lapierre who’s draft stock also went down as he was dealing with injuries.

Now Lapierre is easily the top Caps prospect in the system and we could very well see Miroshnichenko leapfrog past him if he can not only return to the ice fully healthy but completely kill it, which he will.

This was an important draft pick by Washington. The core is aging more and more by the day. Connor McMichael is already an NHL player, so the Caps needed to stock up on forwards and they did exactly that.

If Miroshnichenko can get his full health back and dominate on the ice, he’ll be a number one prospect in the organization soon.

#2 He can be a great on a future top line centered by either McMichael or Lapierre

Miroshnichenko now joins Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre as faces of the future of this franchise. Imagine all three of them on a line together. That could be the fastest first line in the NHL.

Mahoney added:

“He can really shoot the puck, he’s got a high hockey IQ, and he’s competitive. He’s a competitive player who wants to win. He’s not afraid to take the puck into the tough areas to score goals, finishes checks. He plays with some passion.”

His fellow Russians Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov are current top liners and look how effective they were. And if you don’t think they’re affective right now they certainly were back in the day when the Caps won their first Cup.

Caps Development Camp runs from July 11-16 and Miroshnichenko plans on attending before returning to Russia to get ready for the KHL.

Miroshnichenko said:

“Just a tremendous feeling, a great organization. So many great players, great Russian players, that play for the organization, so to join them is a great honor.”

He also said on a talented team such as the Caps that he’s “just very happy to have an opportunity to play with such stars.”

#1 He’ll be the face of a resurgence

Let’s be honest the first couple years after Alex Ovechkin retires are going to suck. But when the rebuild is in its final stages and the Caps will be ready to be competitive again, Miroshnichenko will be leading the charge.

But for now, he’s just trying to get healthy, per Ross Mahoney:

“I think it’s just a matter of continuing to get healthy. He’s already put a lot of weight back on. Met him at the Under-18 tournament in Germany, he was there as part of his treatment, and to see him then and to see him now, there’s a real big difference. I can already tell he’s starting to put his weight back on and he’s back in training. We’ll be patient with him.”

Patience is key Caps fans, that and trusting the process. We had to trust the process back in that fire sale at the trade deadline in 2004 and in a couple of years we’ll have to do it again whether we like it or not.

It was an important draft for the Capitals and they passed the test. Ivan Miroshnichenko will be apart of a newer generation of Capitals and once they get in the playoffs with that group they’ll have big shoes to fill.