The Capitals’ AHL affiliate will face the Hartford Wolf Pack in the next round.
The Washington Capitals saw one of their top prospects step up on Saturday, as Ivan Miroshnichenko helped lead the Hershey Bears past the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to advance in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Miroshnichenko struck twice for his first AHL playoff goals en route to a 5-3 win for the Bears to close out the series against Lehigh Valley.
His first goal came on a breakaway, while his second came off a nice shot in front.
The Russian is playing in his first Calder Cup Playoffs following his first year playing pro hockey in North America. He had nine goals and 25 points in 47 games with Hershey in the regular season and also spent a good amount of the campaign up with Washington, picking up two goals and four assists for six points in 21 games. He also appeared in one Stanley Cup Playoff game.
The end of his NHL tenure this year ended on a bit of a disappointing note, so a big AHL playoff performance is exactly what he needed for his confidence.
Miroshnichenko is expected to compete for a full-time roster spot next season as he looks to continue to solidify himself as an NHL forward and big-time scoring threat.
Capitals prospects Pierrick Dubé. Ethen Frank and Hardy Häman Aktell also scored en route to the victory, while Hendrix Lapierre also kept up his impressive scoring pace with a power-play assist. Rising goaltender Hunter Shepard made
The Bears will move on to play the Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers’ AHL-affiliate, in the division finals. Hershey is looking to defend its Calder Cup title.