Home / News / Capitals recall Aliaksei Protas to fill open roster spot after trade

Capitals recall Aliaksei Protas to fill open roster spot after trade

By Chris Cerullo

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February 24, 2023 5:48 pm

Aliaksei Protas has been yo-yo’d back and forth from the NHL and AHL levels several times this season. He was most recently sent down to the Hershey Bears in order for Nic Dowd to be activated from injured reserve.

He’s back in DC again after being recalled on Friday. He will fill the open roster slot left by Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway being traded to the Boston Bruins.

Protas has often been a healthy scratch in his latest stints with the big club, playing just once since January 24. He became a first-time father in mid-February which forced him out of a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Protas has 10 points (3g, 7a) in 43 games for the Capitals this season. With the young Belorussian on the ice at five-on-five, the Caps have seen 55 percent of the shot attempts, 56.4 percent of the expected goals, 52.9 percent of the scoring chances, and 56.3 percent of the high-danger chances.

Protas can be utilized on the wing or at center and is a skilled two-way player, giving head coach Peter Laviolette further flexibility in a lineup that could see more veteran players moved on to other teams in the near future.

In eight games with Hershey this season, Protas has put up five points (2g, 3a).

Here’s the full press release from the team:

Capitals Recall Aliaksei Protas

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Aliaksei Protas from 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 43 games with Washington this season. The 6’6″, 235-pound forward 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 76 career NHL games with the Capitals, Protas has recorded 19 points (6g, 13a).

In eight games with Hershey this season, Protas has recorded five points (2g, 3a). The Vitebsk, Belarus native recorded 24 points (8g, 16a) in 42 games with the Bears in 2021-22, establishing AHL career highs in goals, assists, points and power play goals (2) and earning Hershey’s Rookie of the Year award. Protas has recorded 36 points (12g, 24a) in 66 career AHL games with Hershey.

The Capitals selected Protas with their third-round pick, 91st overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

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