23-year-old forward Aliaksei Protas recently signed a five-year, $16.875 million extension contract with the Washington Capitals. He seems excited about the opportunity, stating, “It’s a big honor. I’m so proud. This team, this organization believed in me. They give me chance to chase my dreams and to reach my dream to play in the NHL. They trust me, they support me, and that’s a really big one for me. Now, I just have to keep working even harder to prove that I deserve to wear this jersey every night.”
The Belarussian player was selected 91st overall by the Washington Capitals in 2019 after playing for the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. He also previously played internationally with his home country of Belarus at two IIHF World Junior Championships. He made his professional debut in the Kontinental Hockey League, playing for the Dinamo Minsk. After the KHL season ended, Protas was reassigned to the Hershey Bears, Washington’s AHL affiliate, but was quickly called up to the NHL level and scored his first goal with the Capitals on November 28th, 2021, contributing to the team’s 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. During the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, Aliaksei Protas volleyed back and forth between Hershey and Washington.
Since then, Aliaksei Protas has been a regular figure on the Washington Capitals’ gameday lineups and has more than proven himself offensively, especially throughout the current 2023-2024 season, as he has begun playing full-time at the NHL level. In 42 games this season, he has recorded 18 points (3g, 15a). Seventeen of those points have come at even strength, which makes him the lead in even-strength points among the team. He is skating on average 13:02 of ice time per game– a career-high. Protas was a playmaker with the Hershey Bears as well, too, especially during the 2022-2023 season’s Calder Cup run. Throughout the playoffs, the forward tallied 13 points (5g, 8a) and, at one point, was averaging a point per game.
Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery also coached Protas during their shared time at the AHL level, so they have gotten to know each other very well. Carbery spoke highly of Protas after the contract extension was signed, saying, “Protas is a prime example of that and probably an example I’ll use for the rest of my life. His game has come such a long way from when he first came over to North America. Even just in the small sample size, I remember when he came to play his first game at Hershey and to see where his game is now at the NHL Level. Just been a phenomenal maturation, learning, taking coaching, and improving in the areas that he needed to improve in. Now, he’s a bonafide NHL player.”
While he has made impressive strides in his gameplay, Protas has a long way to go to reach his full potential. Whereas he had 9 points in 12 games in December, Aliaksei Protas has spent all of January (so far) in a point drought. The forward admits this himself and shows disappointment that only 3 of his points so far this season have come from goals. He says, “I feel like I can get better in terms of compete level, getting stronger. For sure, as every forward, I want to score goals. You want to try and find the ways to score way more. I’m not really happy with that right now. I think I can get way better.” Protas has been found on a line regularly alongside Connor McMichael and Anthony Mantha, both up-and-coming Capitals forwards with heavy potential.
Overall, Aliaksei Protas is a strong addition to the soft rebuild that the Washington Capitals seem to be undergoing and further goes to show that the future is bright in the nation’s capital.
