The Capitals forward matched his career-high point total from last year in 45 fewer games and is on pace for 72 points.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals have always seen the potential in Aliaksei Protas.
They saw it five and a half years ago when they traded up in the 2019 NHL Draft to take him in the third round, and they saw it last year when they committed to a five-year contract extension for him.
Now, the 23-year-old is finally living up to that potential — and then some.
Through his first 169 NHL games, Protas had tallied just 13 goals; this season, after 33 games, he's already at 14 as he averages nearly a point per game. He's already matched the career-high total of 29 from last season in 45 fewer games, and he's on pace to blow that number out of the water with 72 points.
"Just being more around the net, getting chances out there and being patient... Good work in the offseason, and I think the trust from the coaches, working a lot on the game, what I can do better the past couple of seasons," Protas said with regard to where he's improved.
Protas, who ranks 10th in the league in scoring at 5-on-5 to help fill the void left by Alex Ovechkin, also credited his teammates, wouldn't take all the credit himself, though, adding that his teammates have been instrumental in setting him up for success this season.
"It's hard to do without them. Everybody's working together. We've got a great team in the locker room," he added. "Everybody together, we've got a tight group."
Again, for the organization, Protas' success isn't a surprise; it's a testament to the work that he's put in over the years.
"(He does) a bit of everything. We say he's a Hershey prodigy," linemate Pierre-Luc Dubois said. "Did it the right way."
"We're seeing now the potential of Pro and what that looks like and how good he can be in this league," coach Spencer Carbery added.
Then, there's his size. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward has been a force to be reckoned with and using his frame more to his advantage this year, earning him the nickname "Go-Go Gadget" in the room.
"He's got the longest arms I think I've ever seen, matched up with an extremely long stick," Dubois said. "He can get any puck out there, it's just been really fun to play with him."
"There's not a. lot of guys in the league that skate as well as he does at his size, and the utilization of his size with his foot speed. "It's amazing, the growth in his game," Carbery said, adding, "He's using his size to make a difference and be a difference maker in a game by protecting pucks, taking pucks, playing the net-front."
At the end of the day, though, the biggest asset for Protas has been his mind and the way he thinks the game. He gets to the right spots and makes smart decisions with the puck, and he's able to stay collected under pressure, too.
It's earned him more trust from the coaching staff, and it's also put the league on notice.
"He's such an intuitive player when he goes out on the ice and he has a shift, there's a lot happening and there's a lot of things going on... he's a player that knows exactly what happened in every situation," Carbery said, adding, "He's got such a high hockey IQ, and I find that's why he continues to get better, is because he's so good at learning... that's why he's trusted in so many situations to get the job done."
At the end of the day, it's all part of the job for Protas, and the Capitals are looking forward to watching him enter the full prime of his career.
"He's going to be a really special talent for years to come in this league. He's got the size, he's got the skill, and really happy that he's paying off," Logan Thompson, Protas' close friend and 2019 development camp roommate, added. "He works hard and he's got a great attitude. Really happy for him, he deserves it."
