Two Capitals prospects make noise in Hershey

Fresh off that upper body injury layoff, Ivan Miroshnichenko now has three goals in four games since returning to the Hershey Bears lineup. He missed 12 games, then scored in his first game back at Cleveland, and has not really cooled off.

Saturday against Wilkes Barre Scranton, Miroshnichenko added another chapter, picking up an assist on Ilya Protas power play marker, then ripping a 4 on 3 bomb for Hershey fifth goal. The Bears beat the Penguins 6-2 to split the mini series.

Then there is David Gucciardi, who basically stole the show. The 22 year old rookie defenseman posted his first AHL goal and finished with three points, giving him helpers in three straight games.
Hershey Bears

Gucciardi was Washington seventh round pick, 213th overall in 2022, and just finished a senior season at Michigan State with six goals, ten assists, plus twenty one. That efficient, mobile style is translating nicely to Hershey second pair already.

On the ice you can see why fans are suddenly buzzing. Gucciardi is walking the blue line with confidence, keeping pucks in for the Protas Miroshnichenko unit and jumping into seams instead of forcing low percentage point shots.

Sammi Silber even pointed out on X that while the Miroshnichenko finish was great, Gucciardi deserved a lot of credit for what he is doing in Hershey. That pretty much nails how the fanbase is feeling right now.

Big picture, this is exactly what the Capitals hoped for when they grabbed Miroshnichenko twentieth overall in 2022 and watched him lead Hershey with twenty three goals last season. At twenty one years old, he still looks like a future top six scorer.

Gucciardi, meanwhile, is morphing from «nice seventh round story» into a real depth option who can run a second power play, defend with his feet, and move the puck cleanly out of trouble. That is gold in today's NHL.