The Washington Capitals could end up calling up and giving Ilya Protas his NHL debut at some point during the 2025-26 season.
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick revealed he was open to the idea while speaking to reporters at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Friday.
“Yeah, it’d be nice if we could find the right situation for sure,” Patrick said.
Recently named to the 2026 AHL All-Star Game, Protas has recorded 27 points in 34 games and leads the Hershey Bears in goals with 14. The 19-year-old pivot not only centers the Bears’ first line but also plays on the power play and penalty kill. He’s been the team’s best and most relied-upon forward.
While Protas getting a game in the NHL this season would be nice, Patrick seemed more concerned about whether a cameo lasted longer than that. Patrick seemed skeptical that Aliaksei Protas’s younger brother would be able to deliver a consistent performance and remain the same game-breaking player at the next level that he is in the AHL.
“I think you see with even a guy like Ryan Leonard, who’s a top prospect,” Patrick said. “I mean, for a young guy in this league, there’s going to be some nights that are better than others. So you just want to make sure you’re putting these guys in a position to have success initially, especially if it’s their first time playing in the NHL.”
Protas’s impressive season follows his rookie year in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires. Protas, a 2024 third-round draft pick, scored 50 goals and notched 124 points, second-most among all players.
“We had high expectations for him coming into this season, and he’s met or exceeded those,” Patrick said. “Very excited about his future with the organization. For a 20-year-old guy doing what he’s doing in Hershey this year in the AHL, it’s usually a sign of good things to come.”
While Patrick was asked about Protas specifically, he also left open the possibility for other prospects in Hershey to receive an NHL chance during the final months of the 2025-26 season.
“I think it’d be great to get opportunities to get all these guys up and see what they have and see if maybe one of them is partly an answer for down the stretch,” he said.
