Miroshnichenko, top NHL Draft prospect, diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Ivan Miroshnichenko, one of the top prospects in the 2022 NHL Draft, has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Sources say Daily Faceoff agent Miroshnichenko shared the news with NHL teams this week.

According to Avangard Omsk, the KHL team with which Miroshnichenko is contracted, he is currently undergoing treatment in Germany and the club will cover all his medical expenses. The team also claims that Miroshnichenko could miss the whole next season. Sources said, however, that the prognosis for a full recovery is good.

Miroshnichenko is the second top Russian prospect to receive a serious medical diagnosis in recent weeks. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced last week that first-round pick Rodion Amirov has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Like Miroshnichenko, Amirov is currently undergoing treatment in Germany.

Miroshnichenko had played for Omskie Krylia, Omsk’s second division team in the VHL, but hadn’t seen a game since late January. It had initially raised concerns about the 18-year-old’s health in recent weeks in NHL circles.

Miroshnichenko had also attended the Russian camp ahead of the world junior championship in early December but was cut, the team citing he had yet to fully recover his conditioning after a bout with COVID-19 earlier in the season.

Perhaps there is now a better explanation as to why the national team was concerned about his conditioning with his current diagnosis. According to several sources, the prognosis is that he is dealing with one of the most common and curable forms of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. However, Miroshnichenko will need to spend a lot of time away from the game.

The hockey world first became familiar with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux was diagnosed with it in 1993. He remarkably resumed post-radiation treatment during the 1992 season. -1993 and won the Hart and Art Ross trophies.

Lemieux was able to resume his career and was still among the greatest players the game had ever seen as an afterthought. Hopefully, this serves as an inspiration to young Miroshnichenko, who has already really gone through the buzzer early in his career.

Two years ago, Miroshnichenko signed a RFA with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks and had planned to follow the same path as Carolina Hurricanes prospect Andrei Svechnikov, who also played for Muskegon. However, Miroshnichenko’s visa was surprisingly denied by the US government, forcing him to stay in Russia.

With his path to North America blocked, he signed with Avangard Omsk and played for their U20 team in the MHL in 2020-21. He signed an extension with the club last February which would keep him under contract until 2023-24.

I had Miroshnichenko ranked No. 3 overall on my midterm draft standings. He is a skilful and powerful player who has a certain explosiveness. On top of that, he has astute puck skills and a devastating shot that has allowed him to be a good scorer even when playing with and against men in the VHL.

Miroshnichenko’s rise to stardom is largely due to his exploits on the international stage. He finished second to the phenomenal Matvei Michkov with 12 points in just four games at the 2020 Youth Olympics where Russia won gold. At the Under-18 World Championship last spring, Miroshnichenko scored six goals and eight points as he helped Russia to the silver medal. He then captained Russia to win the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with nine points in five games.

In 31 games this season with Omskie Krylia, Miroshnichenko has 16 points including 10 goals. He was the league’s top U18 scorer by a significant margin as one of only 13 U18 skaters to appear in Second Division league games.

Miroshnichenko’s health is the first and most important concern in hockey right now. The NHL scouts I’ve spoken with are always trying to figure out the news. While Miroshnichenko is expected to focus entirely on his well-being, NHL teams will need to continue planning and preparing for their future. They will continue to monitor this situation very closely as they determine how to handle decisions regarding the signing of the young Russian striker.

All of this is happening as NHL staff are still trying to figure out how best to handle Russian prospects in general amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and international efforts to isolate Russia. Although Miroshnichenko’s draft status may drop significantly on teams’ draft boards, a player with his skill set and chance of a full recovery will almost certainly always be selected. It’s unclear when at this stage and whether more information about his prognosis and path to recovery will become available before July.