The Washington Capitals moved up into the third round, where they originally did not have a pick due to the Carl Hagelin trade from last season, and selected Belarusian forward Aliaksei Protas from the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.
To move up to the New Jersey Devils’ #91 selection, the Capitals parted with the #118 and #129 selections in this year’s draft.
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Washington trades up and selects @protas_21 in the Third Round.#ALLCAPS | #CapsDraft pic.twitter.com/dkCCQarPXk
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) June 22, 2019
Protas turned heads this past postseason in the WHL when he scored back-to-back hat tricks to send the Raiders to the WHL Finals. The Raiders defeated the Vancouver Giants in seven games to win their first WHL championship since 1985.
Protas was a linemate of Caps second round selection Brett Leason. The two took a photo together along with their third linemate Sean Montgomery, after winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 13.
Photo: @alex_71.71
The six-foot-five-inch, 190-pound forward was also a member of Belarus’ most recent U20 World Junior Championship Division 1A team where he had five points in five games.
Hey @Capitals fans. Good to see you again.
Here's a good look at The Viper of Vitebsk, Aliaksei Protas. pic.twitter.com/0kES5p204B
— Prince Albert Raiders (@PARaidersHockey) June 22, 2019
The 44th ranked skater in North America by Central Scouting scored 11 goals and recorded 40 total points in 61 games in his first season in the WHL. Protas got NHL scouts’ attention in the postseason where he scored 12 goals and recorded 22 total points in 23 playoff games.
Highlights
Interview
Aliaksei Protas meets the media for the first time as a member of the Capitals after Washington moves up to select him in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft.#ALLCAPS | #CapsDraft pic.twitter.com/PxsMTVlBdm
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) June 22, 2019
Headline photo: Sportsnet
