Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas was loaned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Saturday. The 22-year-old Belorussian was a healthy scratch on Friday when the Caps took a 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators.
Protas had played in all 41 games to that point and tallied a career-high 10 points (3g, 7a). In recent weeks, he has been a fixture on the team’s uber-successful fourth line.
NEWS | The Capitals have loaned forward Aliaksei Protas to the Hershey Bears.#ALLCAPS https://t.co/RTUQM1AjTL
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 7, 2023
The team is in need of two open spots on their 23-man roster because both star forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson are planned to be activated and make their season debuts against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
At the time of his demotion, Protas was the sole member of the Capitals NHL roster to be waivers exempt. That likely played a significant role in his reassignment to Hershey as it means the Caps can freely send him to the Bears without any worry of him being claimed off of waivers by another team.
The Capitals as a team have been absurdly good when Protas is on the ice this season at five-on-five. In those 432 minutes of ice time, the Caps see 55.4 percent of the shot attempts, 57 percent of the expected goals, 53.4 percent of the scoring chances, and 57 percent of the high-danger chances.
Protas has already played 58 games in the AHL for the Bears in his career. He has recorded 31 points (10g, 21a) in those games.
Here’s the full press release from the team:
Capitals Loan Aliaksei Protas to Hershey
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have loaned forward Aliaksei Protas to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Protas, 22, has recorded 10 points (3g, 7a) in 41 games with Washington this season. The 6’6″, 235-pound forward has recorded a 54.7 shot attempt percentage at five-on-five (444 shot attempts for, 367 shot attempts against) this season, which is the second-highest rate on the team. Protas appeared in 33 games with Washington during the 2021-22 season, ranking second among Capitals rookies in plus/minus (+4) and third in points (9). In 74 career NHL games with the Capitals, Protas has recorded 19 points (6g, 13a).
The Vitebsk, Belarus native recorded 24 points (8g, 16a) in 42 games with Hershey during the 2021-22 season, establishing AHL career highs in goals, assists, points and power play goals (2). Protas has recorded 31 points (10g, 21a) in 58 career AHL games with Hershey.
The Capitals selected Protas with their third-round pick, 91st overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Read more: All the Capitals roster moves ahead of the 1/8 Blue Jackets game.
- Nicklas Backstrom is back
- Tom Wilson is back
- John Carlson placed on long-term injured reserve
- Joe Snively on waivers
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
