The Washington Capitals watched excitedly on Tuesday as their AHL-affiliate Hershey Bears moved within one victory of their second consecutive Calder Cup Final, and Ivan Miroshnichenko is a big reason to thank for that.
Miroshnichenko had his sixth goal (second-most on the Bears) of the postseason and added two assists for a three-point night en route to a 6-2 win over the Cleveland Monsters in Game 3, putting the Bears up 3-0 in the series.
The Russian prospect has totalled 10 points in 10 total playoff games so far with Hershey in his rookie North American campaign, and he continues to show promise as he establishes himself as a key piece of this Calder Cup run.
Speaking of Russian prospects, Bogdan Trineyev is also impressing, as the 6-foot-3 winger is thriving as a role player for Hershey. In fact, his play could very well make him a candidate for some serious NHL minutes next season.
I took the time to discuss Trineyev and what the organization could see from him going forward.
While the Bears took a major step, they did get some disappointing news, as key blueliner Lucas Johansen will be out for "a while" due to another injury and setback. Hershey also saw Pierrick Dubé and Aaron Ness go down with ailments in Game 3.
Johansen faces several questions regarding his future now, as he's set to become a group 6 unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has been unable to completely overcome adversity to become a full-time NHL defenseman, though he's a reliable and steady force at the AHL level.
We discussed Johansen and the road ahead in our latest column.
Going back to the NHL, questions remain going into the summer, as the Capitals have a number of names to address and expect to have flexibility to work with. All the while, trade and free agency rumors continue to brew around the league, with Martin Necas and Trevor Zegras garnering attention.
Speaking of Zegras, is there a potential fit for him in Washington? We break it down.
