ARLINGTON, VA —Six months ago, Aliaksei Protas was fresh off a Calder Cup win with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He had played just 58 games in his first full season for the Capitals, largely on the fourth line, recording a relatively unremarkable 15 points (3g, 11a) before rejoining the Bears. A promising young player, certainly, but not yet one who had solidified a spot in the NHL.
Fast forward to January 2024, and Protas has made himself difficult to ignore. His line with Connor McMichael and Anthony Mantha has been a bright spot for the Capitals, combining two of the team’s young players and the once long-struggling Mantha to deliver Washington’s most consistent line. Protas has already surpassed his scoring total from last season with 18 points (3g, 15a) in 33 games, besting his career high with more than half the season to go.
Protas ranks second on the team behind only power play regular John Carlson (18) in total assists. When asked about the big Belorussian’s role as one of the club’s best set-up men, head coach Spencer Carbery offered effusive praise for the 22 year old.
“I would take it a step further and say he’s been one of our best players overall this year,” Carbery said Monday. “And that didn’t start that way, and it’s well-documented and he’s continued to get better, better, better. With specifically too, the passing and his ability to set up, he sees the ice really well when he has the puck and knows where his options are.”
Protas’ offensive capabilities are particularly valuable on a Capitals team whose 78 total goals rank second-worst in the NHL. Protas has more even-strength points than any other Capital (17), holding a three-point lead over both Anthony Mantha and Dylan Strome. Over half of those points came in December, where Protas had a hand in nine of the Caps’ 29 total goals.
“You’ve seen so many different situations where he’s found guys or been able to make that extra play to create a really dangerous, dangerous scoring chance,” Carbery said Monday.
Much of that success has come on that Protas-McMichael-Mantha line. At five-on-five, the trio has outscored opponents 10-6 since the start of November; with none of them on the ice in that same timeframe, the Capitals have been outscored 21-29. That steady performance has kept the three together even as Carbery has made frequent adjustments to the rest of his forward lines.
“I think that line sort of was that first line for us this year that really became something that we could rely on consistently. And separated themselves,” Carbery said last month, adding, “That line has been really, really effective and we’ve relied on them and we’ve needed them.”
Protas has more recently brought his offensive talents to the power play, spending time on the man advantage against both the New York Islanders and Nashville Predators. The move paid off Saturday night, when Protas’ play helped set Alex Ovechkin up for the game-tying goal. Carbery explained the rationale behind adding Protas to the special teams unit.
“He’s just playing at a high level,” he said. Now he’s playing three-on-three overtime. Four-on-four, he’s out there now. Late in games, protecting leads. He’s become now one of our top players. And so we’re going to try to get him out there in every situation we can.”
Protas will try to keep his offensive streak going as he and his teammates attempt to break a four-game skid against their rival Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night. The young forward has never tallied a point against Pittsburgh in four career games.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
