Aliaksei Protas returned to his native Belarus for the offseason last week and the big forward is already back on the ice. Protas made an appearance at the Khimik-SKA Novopolotsk’s training session on Wednesday — a Belarusian Extraliga team.
Protas donned his red Washington Capitals practice jersey for the on-ice practice. He was joined by his 2024 NHL Draft-eligible brother, Ilya Protas, and Anaheim Ducks prospect Yegor Sidorov.
“The Protas brothers 🔥 stopped by our indoor training ground to keep fit and try to audition for our team 🤣🤣🤣,” Khimik wrote on their Telegram as translated via Google Translate.
The Protas brothers are natives of the nearby Vitebsk and both plied their trade in Belarus before coming to North America to chase their NHL dreams. Aliaksei excelled in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders which led to the Capitals selecting him in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
Ilya, six years younger than his older brother, played his first season in North America this past year with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers. The younger Protas put up 51 points (14g, 37a) in 61 games for the Buccaneers, the second-highest total on the club.
The move to the US has allowed Ilya to drop in for visits with his brother in Washington, DC. He documented several of those trips in an Instagram post celebrating the New Year.
The 6-foot-4, 184-pound younger Protas is ranked as the 49th best North American-based skater in this year’s draft by NHL Central Scouting. He was named part of the USHL’s All-Rookie First Team, led all USHL rookies in assists (37), and tied for second in total power-play goals (6).
Based on NHL Central Scouting’s projection, he could be a third or fourth-round selection, which could land him with his older brother as a member of the Caps.
Washington owns three third-round picks and a fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft. Ilya has also already been spotted hanging out with his brother Aliaksei and Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin in recent weeks.
The Capitals have often selected relatives of present or former NHLers in recent drafts. For example, Ryan Leonard (2023), Dru Krebs (2021), Riley Sutter (2018), and Lucas Johansen (2016) all had brothers or cousins playing in the NHL when they were selected by Washington.
This year’s draft is set for June 28-29 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
