ARLINGTON, V.A. -- Taking the ice in North America for the first time at Washington Capitals development camp to open July, Ivan Miroshnichenko immediately felt at home -- and it looked that way, too. Miroshnichenko, who signed his entry-level deal with the Capitals in June, was the biggest standout at the team's camp, showcasing his lethal shot, high hockey IQ and strength. Now, as he prepares to begin his pro career in North America this season after terminating his KHL contract early, the only question facing Miroshnichenko is where he will start the 2023-24 campaign. And for the 19-year-old, he has his sights set on an extended stay in the Nation's Capital. “Of course, my goal is to make the NHL team. Obviously, there are a lot of great players, a lot of veteran players on the team, so it will be difficult. But that’s my goal; that’s what I’m aiming for," Miroshnichenko said in July through an interpreter. And looking at the circumstances, it is more than possible that he can win a spot. First off, Miroshnichenko is no stranger to defying the odds. Last season, his development was halted when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and several rounds of chemotherapy led to significant weight loss and questions surrounding his NHL future. "His blue jeans were hanging off his hips," assistant general manager Ross Mahoney recalled. It led to him falling down the draft rankings, and Washington would make no mistake, taking him 20th overall and feeling confident that once he was healthy, he'd be an impact player. The organization was right, and Miroshnichenko took off after entering remission in June. He gained all of his weight and strength back -- and then some -- that he lost in chemotherapy, and after months of preparation, he returned to game action in November for Avangard Omsk's MHL affiliate. Miroshnichenko's hot start -- which consisted of eight goals, three assists and one fight in eight games -- led to him making his KHL debut shortly after the season started. He finished the year with 23 KHL games under his belt. Washington Capitals Ivan Miroshnichenko training. (@miroshnichenko_63/Instagram) (@miroshnichenko_63/Instagram) The Russian's resilience speaks volumes, and he has been putting the work in and focusing on key areas of his game that can help him secure a spot at the NHL level, and if he comes to training camp displaying that same confidence, it can lead to a roster spot. Not only that, but he has experience playing pro hockey, and his time up in the KHL should serve him well in the preseason to boot. There's also certainly more opportunity for Miroshnichenko to come in and surprise and win a spot. The team is placing emphasis on injecting youth into the roster, and his skill set and rapid development make it entirely possible that he could come in and win at least a trial run to open the campaign. It has happened before -- and recently -- when Hendrix Lapierre won a spot out of camp following a stellar training camp. There will be fierce competition, though, with Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas and Beck Malenstyn all "pencilled in" on the Washington roster this coming season. Taking that into consideration, there's also not much flexibility at the moment when it comes to wingers, especially with new signee Max Pacioretty expected to be ready shortly after the season starts and likely to slot in on the second-line left wing. Still, there are questions surrounding Anthony Mantha's future, which could open up another vacancy on the wing. At the end of the day, anything could happen, but given the lack of space with the big club, it seems that Hershey is the most likely scenario for Miroshnichenko to open the campaign. It will not only give him more time to adjust to the North American game and fine-tune his skills, but the coaches will also help him adapt to life overseas and learn English. Still, he's not giving up on seeing NHL ice time this season, and he's ready for that move overseas. “It’s been my dream to play in the NHL, so I’m just pursuing my dream and that’s kind of the next step for me, so that’s why I made that decision," Miroshnichenko said, adding, “I feel great both mentally and physically... Doctors performed a lot of tests on me just to make sure that I’m healthy, fully healthy, cancer-free. I feel great."
