As Miroshnichenko Makes NHL Jump With Capitals, Protas Has Become His Translator To Help With Language Barrier — And He Loves It

Protas, who hails from Belarus, said that he's enjoyed working with Miroshnichenko and showing his Capitals teammate the ropes.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Aliaksei Protas sits in Spencer Carbery's office next to Ivan Miroshnichenko, serving as the Russian-English translator for a Tuesday meeting to discuss the 19-year-old's pending NHL debut for the Washington Capitals.

"You'll show him the way?" Spencer Carbery asks Protas.

Without hesitation, Protas responded, "Yeah, sure, I'll show him the way."

Miroshnichenko, who is just a few months into life in North America, is still learning English, so Protas has become his translator and liaison since the Russian's call-up.

Even fresh off the ice after an optional morning skate on Wednesday, where he's trying to focus on the game, he smiles when he's approached by the equipment staff to ask Mirsohnichenko which sticks he wants to bring downtown for his first game.

"Got it," he confirms sincerely, making a mental note.

It's a role that Protas doesn't mind taking on in the slightest, as he has been by Miroshnichenko's side to explain drills during practice, meet with the media and help bridge the gap the language barrier presents between him and the coaching staff.

"I love it... Absolutely, yeah, I'm just happy to help him as much as I can," Protas said with a smile.

Protas, who hails from Belarus, speaks both English and Russian and a little of Belarusian. He learned some English in school growing up before coming over to North America to play in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders, which consisted of memorizing stories and reciting them in English. However, there was still a learning curve when he got to Canada.

"It was British English. It's a little bit different," he recalled. "I used to be like, 'football,' not 'soccer,' you know? There's so many differences; I'm used to that. I just figured out here, it's a little different."

So, when Protas rose through the ranks with the Raiders and ultimately ended up with the Capitals, there were still ways to go when it came to mastering the English language. That's when teammates Evgeny Kuznetsov, Ilya Samosnov and Dmitry Orlov stepped in to help.

"Kuzy was always helping me a lot when I first came here, and when Sammy and Orly was here, they all were helping me a lot," he said, saying that has made him more than happy to pay it forward and take Miroshnichenko under his wing.

This isn't the first time Protas has taken on this role, either. Down in Hershey, he helped Bogdan Trineyev navigate the English-speaking room. And again, the locker room has gone full circle, as Trineyev — along with Dmitri Osipov — is mentoring Miroshnichenko in that department.

"Dmitry and Bogdan, both aren't, like, really good English speakers, so it's gonna help them learn it better," Protas added. 

While Protas is mainly helping to bridge the language barrier gap, he's also taking steps to help Miroshnichenko continue to learn English. And already, he's seen significant improvement since the 19-year-old was last up in D.C. for training camp back in September.

"He's really improved," Protas noted. "Still, like, long ways to go, but he'll get there, absolutely."

To get him more comfortable, Miroshnichenko doesn't necessarily need to lean on resources like books or tutors. Instead, Protas and the team are encouraging Miroshnichenko to get real-time practice, since the best way to learn the language is to speak it.

"We tell him every time. like, 'Talk, don't be shy,'" Protas said. "Just like talk, talk. You'll make mistakes, but, like, everybody makes mistakes, right? So that's the fastest way to learn is just to talk, to listen more."

At the end of the day, Protas doesn't mind his new role on and off the ice, and he's seen multiple teammates, including captain Alex Ovechkin, linemate Kuznetsov and even the native English speakers, step up to aid Miroshnichenko. And that's the way it'll continue to trend.

"Everybody helps him, you know?" he said. "For sure we help him as much as we can. It's (the least) I can do, I'll do it for him."