HERSHEY, PA — Ilya Protas realized a childhood dream when he received his first call-up to the NHL and made his debut with the Washington Capitals on April 8.
Not only did the 19-year-old Belarusian centerman make it to the top league in the world, where he received big fanfare on social media, but he also skated on the same line as his older brother Aliaksei Protas — his “coach” and mentor growing up — and Tom Wilson. The trio would be referred to as the 700-pound line — the biggest in the NHL.
Ilya played his first NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena and registered his first NHL point, a secondary assist, on a Cole Hutson empty-net goal that his brother also assisted on. The goal didn’t come without some controversy, as Cole would receive some playful heat from his teammates after he didn’t pass it back to Ilya so he could score his milestone goal on his milestone night.
Ilya Protas first NHL point
“Yeah, did not see him trailing at all,” Hutson told RMNB then. “So, I obviously put my arms up because I scored, and then I looked back. I know Big Pro was out there, and then I looked farther down the ice and I saw Little Pro, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I could have gave him his first goal.’ But he doesn’t want it in (on) an empty net anyway.”
Aliaksei Protas hugs his brother Ilya after his first NHL point
In his very next game, though, Ilya took care of that milestone too, scoring his first NHL goal and also notching the primary assist on a goal potted by his brother. Ilya would record three points on the night — his first multi-point game in the NHL — and got pied in the face on the Capitals’ bench by Tom Wilson as Alex Ovechkin smiled and watched nearby.
Not only did Ilya get to share time on the ice with Ovechkin, but he also got close to him off of it during what could have been his final four games in the NHL. Ilya, along with his brother and Ivan Miroshnichenko, hung out with Ovechkin and legendary Russian winger Evgeni Malkin during a night on the town in Pittsburgh.
He’d also be welcomed into Ovechkin’s home for some hallway hockey with Ovi, Malkin, and Ovechkin’s two children.
Ilya did more than hold his own during his stint in Washington—at times, he excelled and looked like a future superstar. The NHL success came as he also led the Hershey Bears as a rookie in goals (29) and points, posting 66 in 69 AHL games.
Now Ilya is back in Hershey for what could be the final time in his career, suiting up in his first career playoff games as a professional. He scored a goal in his first postseason game, an empty-netter against the Bridgeport Islanders, which gave the Bears a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three series.
Friday, I spoke to Ilya at Giant Center after practice and asked him to reflect on his magical stint with the Capitals. Bright-eyed and smiling ear-to-ear, Ilya revealed the new nickname he got in Washington, what it was like to play with his older brother in the NHL, and his experience around Ovechkin as the Capitals captain potentially suited up for the final games of his career.
RMNB Q/A with Ilya Protas
Questions are edited slightly for brevity.
Q. So are you officially taller than your brother now?
Ilya Protas: “No, I don’t think so actually, because we are on the same height, but I think he’s a little bit taller.”
Q. How about with your hair, though? It’s more floofy.
Ilya Protas: “Yeah, I know, I know. I got to make a haircut because my mom wasn’t happy with that.”
Q. So what nickname did you go by up with the Capitals?
Ilya Protas: “PJ. It’s short, kind of Pro Junior. Usually, it was just PJ.”
Q. Oh, wow. Okay. So what did you make of your entire experience up there? We were all really proud to see how well you performed, and you and your brother looked like the Sedin twins out there at times.
Ilya Protas: [Big smile] “Yeah, it was a really fun experience and I’m really thankful for that opportunity. It’s a dream come true and it was special, for sure, for me, for family, for my brother. And yeah, it’s great experience. Obviously, I was nervous and had tough time to adjust to that league. But thanks for the guys. They welcome me really warm and I was feeling part of the family right away. So it was huge.”
Q. You ended up getting your first point on a Hutson goal that maybe some thought should have been passed to you. But I think it was even better that you got to assist it with your brother. First point in the NHL, even now, how does that make you feel?
Ilya Protas: “Yeah, yeah, for sure he should have scored that. He came up to me, he was like, ‘Yeah, probably should have passed,’ and I’m like, ‘No, no you scored that, and it’s all good.’ But, you know, it’s really special assist on the same goal with it to Cole and share the moment, and then, yeah, it’s unreal. But obviously, I was thinking about it, and maybe he should have passed it, but at the end of the day, I was like, ‘No, the best-case scenario happened.'”
Q. What did it mean to even just assist on one of your brother’s goals?
Ilya Protas: “Yeah, I couldn’t believe it. Because I assisted on the same goal in the NHL, and being able to share the moment in Pittsburgh, too. It’s special.”
Ilya assists on Aliaksei’s 25th goal of the season
Q. Your promotion to the NHL really seemed to excite social media across the NHL sphere. Did you feel that?
Ilya Protas: “I’m really not big guy on social media, but if yes, I appreciate it because it’s a big moment for me, for family, how I said before. It’s really special. If everyone got excited, I’m really happy about that.”
Q. What’s your biggest takeaway from that experience playing with your brother up with the big club?
Ilya Protas: “You know it’s consistency. That’s like what my brother was teaching me during the whole years, and he said if you want to be in that league, you got to be consistent every game, every practice. You’ve got to show your best and be on a good level of your game, and that’s what I’m going to continue to improve here.”
Q. What did it mean to play with Ovi? We don’t know if he’s going to play next year, if this was it, but what did it mean for you to actually get close time around him during maybe what could have been the end?
Ilya Protas: “Yeah, I mean, it’s… I still think it’s… I’m dreaming and still sleeping, but yeah, it’s special to be around this guy and how good he was to me and helped me a lot and support me and yeah sometimes he wasn’t happy with me and that’s alright because I was nervous and wasn’t good at times on the ice but outside he always was really really helpful and really good and kind and with his family and I always was like invited for some events and I really appreciate that. To share that time and play with him is what I’m going to tell my kids about.”
Q. Nastya Ovechkina shared video of you guys playing hockey with Evgeni Malkin and Ovi at his house. We see video of you guys walking in. What was that experience like? What were you feeling inside?
Ilya Protas: “Yeah, I was even more nervous, and yeah, it was awesome to share that moment and just to be around the two legends of hockey and around Alex’s family, and yeah, it was unbelievable. I’m really excited, I’m really happy I get invited and share that moment, and just be around and play some mini sticks and just have a nice dinner.”
Q. I have to follow up on that one thing. What was Ovi sometimes not happy with you about?
Ilya Protas: “Oh, I mean, the kind of passes I made and leads to the opportunities on our net and he was just teaching me what I need to do better and sometimes in the power play where I can make the better passes and yeah, it’s so helpful, this guy, and he leader and I always listen to him and yeah he was really helping me out a lot.”
Q. What did you feel when you first found out that you were called up?
Ilya Protas: “I think it was just practice in the morning then I came home and got lunch and we’re eating and I just get the text from Fitsy (Jason Fitzsimmons, the Capitals’ director of minor league operations). ‘Call me when you can, right away,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, okay,’ and I called him and he told me I’m going to go up and practice and be with the team and go to Toronto. Yeah, I was shaky for a bit and couldn’t believe it for a second. Yeah, it’s unreal, and then I call my family in the group chat. Yeah, they were really happy, and they got a little emotion. Yeah, special moment.”
