Aliaksei Protas Has Transformed Into An 'Elite Talent' For The Capitals This Season. He Says He's Just Getting Started

ARLINGTON, V.A. — The evolution of Aliaksei Protas has been a sight to behold for the Washington Capitals.

After putting up 52 points through his first three seasons combined, the 2019 third-rounder took a major step forward this season, turning into one of the Capitals' most vital scorers and a top forward at the NHL level.

"It took a while," Protas said of reaching his peak. "The first three seasons really help me realize how hard it is in this league and how hard it is to score and just to even, like, have a nice shift. I needed to work very hard."

Through 63 games, the 23-year-old has put up 28 goals and 30 assists for 58 points, and he ranks seventh in 5-on-5 scoring league-wide while leading the NHL with a plus/minus rating of plus-39. He is fresh off his first career NHL hat trick and has points in three straight games.

"Maybe I get a little more lucky in terms of finishing. Some of the shifts are not, like, pretty, but the boys are finishing," Protas said. "I think maybe the finishing's a little better, I have more confidence going into the season. Feeling better overall."

All the while, he's logging a career-high 16:33 minutes a night, while playing a vital role on the top-6 and penalty kill and being one of Spencer Carbery's most reliable players in numerous situations.

For Protas, that extra responsibility and accountability are two of the major reasons he believes he's taken a big step forward this season.

"Trust is one of the biggest things for the players. First of all, you earn that, and it's also a thing you can lose pretty easily if you're not at your best every night," Protas said, adding, I'm pretty thankful to the coaching staff I have before, even when they got to the NHL, I got the trust from (Peter Laviolette), sometimes playing the top-6 and getting that experience. With Carbs, he also keeps learning, keeps helping you develop your game. He doesn't let the boys down when we don't have our best. He's always there to keep the energy on the bench and help us, that's also a big thing for the team."

But what else has helped transform the 6-foot-6 winger become a game-changer?

His teammates point to his hockey IQ and his vision, saying that his intelligence and awareness make him a difference-maker night after night.

"I'm really proud of all the work he's put in, the player he's becoming, it's awesome to see," Tom Wilson said. "He's an elite talent now in this league, just (has) a really high IQ and makes good plays... He has that ability to take over a game."

Pierre-Luc Dubois agreed, and being 6-foot-4 himself, said that he's been impressed with how Protas is able to utilize his size to his advantage, too.

"You look at a guy like Pro and everybody's like, 'Oh, he's got long arms,' you know, but Pro's extremely smart. Just stopping at him being a big guy is not (right)," Dubois said. "If you really want to figure out the smarts, the stick, the battles, winning battles physically is obviously (about being) strong, but you can win battles by being in a good position and baiting a guy... I think the toughest guys to play against are the guys that a rebig, strong and can skate and are smart."

For Protas, a lot of the credit also goes to his teammates, especially Alex Ovechkin, Dmitry Orlov and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

"(Ovechkin) has been one of the biggest parts in terms of helping like to get used to the league overall, the life and NHL and stuff. It's not fair not to mention like Orly, Kuzy, who was either helping me getting adjusted to the game," Protas said, adding, "(Ovi) always for sure has been one of the biggest parts. He is the example to learn from terms of his energy, his drive. Every shift he wants to score, you know? He wants to do something that. That's also helped, you learn from the great leadership in here."

Another major asset for Protas has been his size, though he says being 6-foot-6 at the highest level has its pros and cons. Pierre-Luc Dubois explained that, being a big guy himself, he's been impressed with how Protas has been able to balance size with smarts.

"You look at a guy like Pro and everybody's like, 'Oh, he's got long arms,' you know, but Pro's extremely smart. Just stopping at him being a big guy is not (right)," Dubois said. "If you really want to figure out the smarts, the stick, the battles, winning battles physically is obviously (about being) strong, but you can win battles by being in a good position and baiting a guy... I think the toughest guys to play against are the guys that a rebig, strong and can skate and are smart."

That said, Protas says there's still ways to go, as his size helps with reach and battles, but at the same time, makes it difficult when it comes to stamina and speed.

"There's so many areas to develop as a big guy in terms of like being skill is sometimes harder with the size," Protas said. "There's a long road ahead, and I'm excited about it."

Still, he said the "hardest challenge" is staying consistent, but that he's doing what he can to bring his best night  biggest challenge going foward, though, is staying consistent.

"Shift after shift, game after game, there's so many back-to-backs and tight schedules, energy isn't there... you have to stay consistent and keep playing your game, keep developing and playing your hardest and just be at your best every shift," Protas said.

As he continues his breakout year, his plan now is to continue showing the Capitals that he earned the five-year extension he signed last season, and that this season "isn't a fluke," but one he can replicate as his career goes on.

"That's like I always said, it's the beauty of the league. You're never perfect, there's always areas to improve," Protas said, adding, "I try to just keep working on my game. There's so many areas I have to improve. There's so much work ahead of me, but I'm excited about it."