Young Capitals Help Hershey Clinch Spot in Calder Cup Playoffs
The Washington Capitals’ AHL affiliate Hershey Bears clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. They did so with a […]
Travis Boyd/Special to the Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK The Washington Capitals’ AHL affiliate Hershey Bears clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. They did so with a dominant 5-1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday. TICKET.
PUNCHED. pic. twitter.
com/MEmZbtwKlZ — x – Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) April 16, 2026 Ivan Miroshnichenko, Ilya Protas, and Clay Stevenson all returned after being called up by the Capitals. They helped Hershey clinch a playoff spot for the sixth consecutive season and the first under head coach Derek King. Miroshnichenko recorded his 13th goal of the season on the power play along with an assist, while Protas finished with two assists.
Protas has 64 points through 67 games, which lead all AHL rookies and rank sixth in the league. Meanwhile, Miroshnichenko now has 100 career AHL points. Stevenson started in net a day after stopping 27 of 28 shots to help the Capitals beat Columbus.