The Washington Capitals have a couple more seasons at the minimum before the Alex Ovechkin Era of their history possibly comes to an end. As things currently stand, Ovechkin is under contract until 2026. With that being said, the organization has already locked up some of their players for the next chapter after he officially leaves the team as a player. On defense, the Capitals have Rasmus Sandin under contract until 2029, while Matt Roy signed a six-year deal in free agency that ends in 2030. With the offense; players who are currently locked up long-term to play in D.C. are Tom Wilson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Dylan Strome, and Aliaksei Protas. With Protas, the young Belarusian forward has the potential to gain more ice time and become a core member of Washington, as the franchise eventually transitions to their next era.
Journey to Washington
Protas was drafted by Washington in the third round (91st overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He worked toward getting into the NHL through a couple different leagues. He suited up for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for a couple campaigns. He debuted for the Raiders in 2018-19, where he posted 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points in 61 games. The team made it to the postseason and ended up winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions. Protas, during that championship run, put up 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points in 23 games. He returned for a second season with Prince Albert, where he notched 80 points in 58 regular-season games (31 goals and 49 assists).
After his second campaign in the WHL, Protas suited up in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for 2020-21. He played for Dinamo Minsk and was able to share the ice with a few teammates that were former NHL talents like forwards Shane Prince and Ryan Spooner. Another member of that squad also was a future NHL talent in current Calgary Flames center Yegor Sharangovich. Protas for Dinamo Minsk tallied 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points in 58 games. He also suited up for five playoff games and registered a goal and three assists in that span.
Protas finally joined the Capitals’ system in 2020-21 when he joined their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Hershey Bears. He played in 16 games in the regular season for Hershey and accumulated two goals and five assists. While he was off to a good start, it was only the beginning for Protas to make an early impact in both the AHL and, eventually, the NHL as well.
Becoming a Permanent Capital
The 2021-22 campaign is when Protas finally made the jump and debuted in the NHL for Washington. The Capitals recalled Protas, and he made his league debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 1, 2021. The special moments continued for the young forward, as he later scored his first NHL goal against Freddy Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes. He played a total of 33 games for Washington and registered three goals and six assists for nine points.
Ever since his first games in the NHL back then, Protas has worked his way into becoming a regular in the lineup for Washington. He split time between the Capitals and the Bears in 2022-23, but he only suited up for nine AHL games and was mainly in D.C. This past campaign saw Protas play the entire time as a member of the Capitals. His stats for 2022-23 and 2023-24 in Washington are below:
- 2022-23: four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 58 games
- 2023-24: six goals and 23 assists for 29 points in 78 games
On top of that, Protas made his NHL postseason debut in 2024, and had two assists in four games.
Protas is already a valuable member of the future for the Capitals. If he was not considered a big factor for the club, former GM Brian MacLellan would not have signed him to a five-year extension back in January. MacLellan and new GM Chris Patrick know the potential that is there. Protas can be a really dangerous player for the team down the road, especially when he hits his prime years. Overall, he has taken great steps in his career, and 2024-25 could be another season that leads to further development from him into the talent the team hopes he can be.
