Capitals recall pair of former first-round picks

The Capitals recalled forwards Ivan Miroshnichenko and Hendrix Lapierre from AHL Hershey on Tuesday morning, per a team release. Both are high-end prospects and were first-round selections in the 2022 and 2020 drafts.

This is Miroshnichenko’s first NHL call-up. After spending the 2022-23 season in Russia in the Avangard Omsk organization, he signed his entry-level contract last May and was a late cut from the Capitals’ opening-night roster. He was technically listed on the NHL roster at the beginning of the season for salary cap management purposes but was assigned to Hershey one day later.

The call-up comes earlier than expected for Miroshnichenko, who was once viewed as a likely top 10 pick in 2022 but fell down the board due to some inconsistent play early in his draft year. That became secondary when he received a Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis in the middle of the 2021-22 season, ending his campaign. He was cleared to resume training before the draft after three months of treatments, though, leading the Capitals to select him 20th overall.

Thankfully, Miroshnichenko’s journey toward remission was quick and complete, and he returned to play in Russia just a handful of weeks into the 2022-23 campaign. He played in all three primary tiers of Russian hockey last season – the major-pro KHL, the minor-pro VHL and the junior MHL – but spent most of his time in the KHL, notching three goals and an assist in 23 games despite minimal ice time

A high-speed sniper, Miroshnichenko immediately impressed during his first training camp in Washington last summer, consistently earning himself looks among the Capitals’ likely top-six forward group in preseason games. Understandably, the Capitals didn’t want to rush the 19-year-old’s development and let him begin the season in Hershey to acclimate to the North American professional system.

The decision proved to be the correct one. Miroshnichenko hasn’t looked out of place in the minors, scoring eight goals and 15 points in 27 games, good enough for sixth on the team. His two-way play has unexpectedly jumped out as an impressive factor, too, leading Hershey with a +13 rating. It’s quickly looking like he can hit the potential he was billed for earlier in his development.

With T.J. Oshie expected to miss Wednesday’s contest against the Islanders and veteran minor-leaguer Joe Snively being sent to Hershey Monday, all signs point to Miroshnichenko making his NHL debut Wednesday. He’s projected to occupy the left-wing spot on the Capitals’ third line alongside countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov and Matthew Phillips.

Lapierre comes up to the Capitals for the second time this season. Washington recalled the 21-year-old center in late October and played him in 11 contests, where he recorded three points and a -2 rating while averaging 10:06 per game.

He recorded two goals and three assists in five games with Hershey over the past week and a half, including a three-point effort against the Laval Rocket on Saturday. The 22nd overall selection in 2020 remains waiver-exempt and is in the second season of his three-year entry-level contract. He’s expected to sit as a healthy scratch for Wednesday’s game.