Ivan Miroshnichenko Survives Capitals’ Major Roster Cut, Appears Poised for Opening Night Spot
By Brian Hradsky
The Washington Capitals made a major round of training camp cuts Sunday, and one of the biggest stories was a name that did not appear on the transaction list. Forward Ivan Miroshnichenko remains with Washington after the Capitals sent a large group of prospects to the Hershey Bears and placed several veterans on waivers, putting the 22-year-old in an increasingly strong position to begin the 2026-27 season in the NHL.
The roster update provided by Capitals PR shows Washington loaned forwards Eriks Mateiko, Andrew Cristall, Theodor Niederbach, Terik Parascak, Lynden Lakovic, Alex Suzdalev, Petr Sikora and Tyler Kopff to Hershey. Defensemen Cam Allen, David Gucciardi, Leon Muggli and Ryan Chesley were also loaned, while defenseman Jon McDonald was assigned to Hershey. Goaltender Cal Petersen was released from his professional tryout and will report to the Bears.
Washington also placed forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Spencer Smallman, defenseman Louie Belpedio and goaltender Clay Stevenson on waivers for the purpose of assigning them to Hershey. The Capitals returned forward Maxim Schafer to his junior team. With those moves, Miroshnichenko survived one of the final and most significant cuts of camp.
That does not quite make Miroshnichenko’s NHL roster spot official yet, because Washington can still make additional moves before submitting its Opening Night roster. However, the evidence is becoming difficult to ignore: Miroshnichenko remains while several players who were competing for depth positions have been moved out.
Miroshnichenko made his case throughout camp
Miroshnichenko entered training camp facing an important opportunity in his development. Washington selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and at 22 years old, he is beginning his first contract after his entry-level deal. He already has considerable professional experience between Washington and Hershey.
The Russian winger made an immediate impression in Washington’s preseason opener against the Boston Bruins. Miroshnichenko scored in the Capitals’ 3-2 shootout loss, while Jonny Brodzinski supplied Washington’s other goal. Miroshnichenko’s performance was part of a preseason in which Washington’s younger forwards forced the coaching staff to make difficult decisions.
His opportunity grew even more when Alex Ovechkin missed practice with a lower-body injury. Coach Spencer Carbery moved Miroshnichenko onto the left side of a line with Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard, placing him in Ovechkin’s normal position. Miroshnichenko also received work in Ovechkin’s familiar left-circle position on Washington’s top power-play unit.
Carbery cautioned at the time that the move was not necessarily a preview of the regular-season lineup, describing it as an in-practice adjustment. Still, getting an opportunity alongside Strome and Leonard showed that the Capitals were willing to evaluate Miroshnichenko in an offensive role rather than simply treating him as another prospect destined for Hershey.
Experience in Hershey has prepared Miroshnichenko
Miroshnichenko has already accomplished plenty at the AHL level. Through the figures published by Washington this week, he has produced 46 goals and 55 assists for 101 points in 146 regular-season AHL games. He has added 12 goals and 20 points in 34 Calder Cup Playoff appearances and was part of Hershey’s 2024 Calder Cup championship team.
He also led Hershey with 23 goals during the 2024-25 regular season while finishing third on the Bears with 42 points. Miroshnichenko has moved between Hershey and Washington during his young professional career, giving him experience at both levels rather than forcing the Capitals to rush him directly from junior hockey into a full-time NHL role.
Washington clearly still believed in Miroshnichenko’s long-term potential when it signed him to a two-year, $1.85 million extension last November. The question entering this camp was whether he could finally turn his NHL opportunities into a permanent roster position.
Capitals’ final preseason game provided another test
Washington gave its prospects an unusually difficult assignment in Saturday’s preseason finale against Philadelphia. The Capitals dressed a young lineup while the Flyers used essentially their Opening Night group, with only three Washington skaters entering the game with regular-season NHL experience. Miroshnichenko was one of them with 52 NHL games entering the contest.
The young Capitals responded with an impressive 5-1 victory. Andrew Cristall recorded a goal and an assist, while Maxim Schafer, Ethen Frank, Theodor Niederbach and Lynden Lakovic also scored. Charlie Lindgren stopped 32 shots over two periods before Petersen finished the game.
Carbery praised the group afterward for the way it handled an extremely difficult situation against Philadelphia’s veteran-heavy lineup. Many of those prospects were sent to Hershey the following day despite the strong performance, illustrating just how difficult Washington’s roster decisions had become.
Miroshnichenko is still standing
That is what makes Sunday’s roster update particularly significant for Miroshnichenko. Cristall, Mateiko, Niederbach, Parascak, Lakovic, Suzdalev, Sikora and Kopff are all headed to Hershey, while Brodzinski and Smallman must clear waivers before they can join the Bears. Miroshnichenko remains with the Capitals.
There is an important distinction between surviving this cut and officially making Washington’s Opening Night roster. The Capitals still have roster and salary-cap decisions to finalize, and circumstances surrounding injured players can affect how the club constructs its initial roster. For now, however, Sunday’s moves have dramatically reduced the number of players competing with Miroshnichenko for a job.
Washington opens its regular season Friday on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes before traveling to Tampa Bay for the second half of a back-to-back. The Capitals finished the preseason 3-0-1, including Saturday’s 5-1 victory in Philadelphia.
MSB Take
Miroshnichenko has done about as much as the Capitals could have asked of him this preseason, and Sunday’s cuts are the strongest indication yet that Washington intends to give him a legitimate NHL opportunity. He produced when given preseason opportunities, earned looks with Strome and Leonard and on the top power-play unit, and has now survived a cut that sent many of Washington’s best young prospects to Hershey.
MSB would still stop just short of saying he has officially made the team until Washington submits its Opening Night roster. But looking at who was sent down and who remains, Miroshnichenko is clearly much closer to an NHL roster spot than he was when camp opened. After spending portions of the last several seasons moving between Washington and Hershey, this may finally be the opportunity for Miroshnichenko to establish himself as a full-time Capital.
