Ilya Protas is having a season to remember with the Hershey Bears.
Friday, the 19-year-old Belarusian rookie scored his 21st goal of the season, lighting the lamp on a power play with 2:57 remaining. The goal not only gave Hershey a huge insurance marker late in the game, but also broke a Bears’ franchise record that had stood for 74 years.
Yes, you read that right: seventy-four years.
According to the Bears, Protas’ 21 goals this season are the most ever by a 19-year-old in franchise history, breaking a record set in 1951-52 by Réal Chevrefils.
“That’s all coaching right there,” Bears head coach Derek King joked. “He’s playing a pretty complete game. He still makes his mistakes, his young mistakes, but he battles hard and he’s a talent up front. He’s got some skill, even tonight he hangs around the net on the power play, and in that situation, hopefully the puck goes to you, and he buried it.”
“It’s pretty special,” Protas said. “Really proud about that, finding out about that, but it’s all the credit to my teammates. Without them I couldn’t have done that, and we’ve got a really good group in there, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Chevrefils, born on May 2, 1932, in Timmins, Ontario, played both for the AHL’s Hershey Bears and the NHL’s Boston Bruins that season. The left winger scored 8 goals in 33 games for the Bruins while lighting the lamp 20 times in 34 games for the Bears.
How long did the record stand? In 1952, Harry S. Truman was the United States’ president, I Love Lucy was in its heyday, and the first major rock-and-roll concert was held — the “Moondog Coronation Ball.” The nation was just seven years removed from the end of World War II.
Part of the reason the record stood for so long is the NHL’s longstanding agreement with the CHL, which prohibits teenagers from playing in the AHL. Protas was able to skirt that requirement because he’s classified as an “import” player, having been drafted out of the USHL (Des Moines) and having previously played in Europe. This season, Protas was eligible to play for the AHL’s Hershey Bears and the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
After the Bears’ 4-1 win over Rockford, Protas now has 43 points (21g, 22a) in 52 games. He leads the team in goals and points and sits second overall among AHL rookies in the categories, trailing only Edmonton’s Quinn Hutson (24 goals and 45 points).
