The 22-year-old has made major strides for the Capitals this season.
The 22-year-old has made major strides for the Capitals this season.
WASHINGTON — By just looking at Aliaksei Protas, it's easy to see that he's a different player this season for the Washington Capitals.
The 6-foot-6 forward has made major strides, transitioning from a tentative third-year player to a full-time top-6 forward seemingly overnight — and the Capitals couldn't be happier.
"He’s playing at a high level. I’ve really liked his progression this year. Started the year sort of just playing like 7-8 minutes, he was inconsistent and now he’s one of our most consistent forwards," head coach Spencer Carbery said.
Through 30 games this season, Protas has three goals and 12 assists for 15 points, matching his season total from 2022-23 in exactly half the games. Fourteen of those points have come at 5-on-5 as he leads the team in even-strength scoring.
Protas had one person to thank for his improvement from last season, and that's his new bench boss Carbery.
The two have kept in constant communication, with Carbery pulling Protas aside to give his thoughts on positioning and play. It has made all the difference for the 22-year-old, who went from playing minimal minutes to now logging significant ice time and constantly ending up in the right places at the right times.
"I feel way different in terms of like, playing with the puck and even without the puck. Carbs, I think, show me the way to raise my game to another level, absolutely," Protas told The Hockey News. "Just little details he just showed me, and now I feel really different, way more comfortable with the puck and without the puck. Huge difference, actually. He showed me a couple of big details I needed to know."
Coming into the season, Protas was just eager to prove that he belonged in the NHL, and also wanted to live up to his number change after finally gaining the confidence to ask for one. Since then, he's done that and more.
The Belarus native's hard work impressed the coaching staff enough to earn him a look on the top-6, where he has since become a staple while playing alongside Connor McMichael and Anthony Mantha on the "McProMo" second line. That trio ranks as the 17th-most productive in the NHL with a 59.3 expected goals-for percentage, per MoneyPuck.
"With these two guys, we found the chemistry and it's fun to play with them and great to see," Protas added. "We go a pretty good stretch going right now, and we'll keep it rolling. Just don't stop with that, because there's no reason to stop, you know? Just keep playing our game and play every shift, take advantage of every shift."
Even with McMichael absent the last two games, Protas has stepped up to keep that production going on that unit with Hendrix Lapierre.
Protas has also dazzled with his vision and play. He's able to track down loose pucks and win battles along the boards, and his skating and physicality have also taken big steps forward for D.C. Not only that, but Protas is also making elite plays and is able to make picture-perfect passes and read the ice well to generate high-danger opportunities.
Among forwards with at least 23 games played this season, Protas ranks third in scoring chances-for percentage (49.46) and expected goals-for percentage (51.13) at 5-on-5. He also leads all skaters with at least 14 games played in assists per 60 (2.14) and takeaways per 60 (2.73).
"He competes, he moves his feet, he makes the right plays. His wall touches are usually spot on. Like, the consistency in his game has really excelled quickly and that’s nice to see, for a young player to be thriving," Carbery said.
Not only has he grown a lot on the ice, but he's matured off the ice as well. Protas is 10 months into fatherhood, and he said that it's added to his NHL journey and overall well-being as he's been able to have his daughter at every game.
"It's unbelievable," Protas said.
He also credited Nic Dowd for a lot of his forward development, as he played fourth-line minutes with No. 26 before making that jump up the lineup.
"He's a great centerman in terms of communication," Protas explained.
As a result of his productivity, the Capitals feel they have a major asset in Protas and a player that can log heavy minutes and play just about any role.
"He’s earned so much trust from us as a coaching staff, plays tons of minutes, every situation: penalty, overtime, important 5-on-5 shifts," Carbery added. "He's well on his way.”
Now, it's up to Protas to keep the momentum going, and with that, he can continue to build his identity as a top contributor at the highest level.
"You can get way more confidence when you play more and get trust, for sure you get that confidence," Protas said, adding, "You just try to earn more opportunities and try to prove that you can be the type of guy the coach can rely on."