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Ilya Protas

Capitals Assign Ilya Protas To AHL

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One of Washington’s top prospects could soon be getting his first taste of playing in the pros.  The Capitals announced that they have reassigned winger Ilya Protas from OHL Windsor to AHL Hershey.

The 18-year-old was a third-round pick last June, going 75th overall after a solid first season in North America with USHL Des Moines after previously playing in Belarus’ junior program.  Having had some success with his brother Aliaksei (who had a breakout year with the Caps this season), Washington felt Ilya, who stands 6’5, was worth a mid-round look as well, making them the second set of brothers to be drafted by the team in franchise history (the others being Yvon and Rick Corriveau).

It’s a pick that certainly looks promising not even a year later.  Protas moved to the major junior level this season with the Spitfires and was nothing short of dominant, notching 50 goals and 74 assists in just 61 games, good for second in the OHL in scoring.  He became the first player since Alex DeBrincat to pot 50 goals in his first OHL campaign.

That production didn’t slow down in the playoffs either.  He is the leading scorer of the postseason thus far after tallying five goals and 20 assists in just a dozen postseason contests.

Hershey has yet to begin its playoff run as the team is awaiting the end of the opening round (or play-in series) to see who their first opponent will be.  It will be interesting to see if Protas will get a look at some point or if he’ll primarily serve as injury insurance.

Minor Transactions: 7/18/24

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As expected, signing activity across the NHL has largely dried up with training camps still more than a month and a half away.  However, there are some NHL-drafted prospects and players formerly on NHL contracts that have found new places to play in recent days.  We’ll run through those moves here.

  • Free agent blueliner Nick Cicek has signed a one-year deal with Adler Mannheim, the DEL team announced. The 24-year-old started last season in San Jose’s system before being moved to Vancouver where he remained in the AHL.  Between the two teams, Cicek had four goals and 12 assists in 67 games, resulting in him being non-tendered last month.  Cicek does have 16 career NHL appearances under his belt, all coming in the 2022-23 campaign where he had four assists.
  • Capitals prospect Ilya Protas has signed with OHL Windsor for the upcoming season, per a team announcement. Protas, whose brother is a regular in Washington, was a third-round pick last month, going 75th overall.  The 18-year-old, who signed his entry-level deal with the Caps earlier this month was the third-overall selection in the CHL Import Draft and the top selection from an OHL-based club following a strong showing with USHL Des Moines.  In 61 games with the Buccaneers last season, Protas had 14 goals and 37 assists.
  • Still with Washington, the Capitals farm team in Hershey was busy today as the team announced six signings, all on one-year contracts. Joining the Bears are forwards Grant Cruikshank, Austin Magera, Micah Miller, Justin Nachbaur, and Tyler Weiss, along with defenseman Jayden Lee.  The five forwards played professionally last year – primarily at the ECHL level – while Lee is turning pro after a five-year stint at Quinnipiac.
  • After being non-tendered by Dallas last month, free agent forward Max Ellis has found a new place to play as he has joined Jukurit in Finland, per a team release.  The 24-year-old spent last season in Toronto’s system, getting into 36 games in the AHL with the Marlies where he had four goals and ten assists.  His signing rights were thrown into the draft day trade for the rights to Chris Tanev but that was simply for contract-matching purposes.
  • Panthers prospect Vladislav Lukashevich has changed his college commitment. Nathaniel Bott of the Lansing State Journal relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner will now play at Michigan State next season instead of Northern Michigan.  The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick back in 2021, going 120th overall and spent last season with USHL Tri-City where he had 11 goals and 32 assists in 54 games.

Capitals Sign Ilya Protas

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3:15 PM: The Capitals have officially announced the contract.

12:35 PM: A day after signing their first-round pick, the Capitals have signed another one of their 2024 draft picks.  Dan Milstein, the agent for Ilya Protas, announced (Twitter link) that Washington has signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal carries a cap hit of $889K and an AAV of $975K if he reaches his games played bonuses each season.

The 17-year-old was the 75th pick last month, going in the third round.  Protas spent 2022-23 in the Belarusian junior system before coming to North America last season, suiting up with USHL Des Moines.  He had a solid first season with them, collecting 14 goals and 37 assists in 61 games which helped get him on the draft radar.

Protas is the younger brother of Capitals center Aliaksei Protas, who is coming off his best season, one that earned him a five-year deal along the way.  However, it will be a while before the two have a chance to play together.

By signing his entry-level contract, Protas will no longer be able to go the NCAA route.  Accordingly, his two most likely options for next season are to remain with Des Moines or to go to the CHL.  In this week’s Import Draft, Protas was the first player to be picked by an OHL team, going third overall to Windsor.  By picking him that early, the Spitfires are likely quite confident that they’ll be able to get Protas onto their roster for next season.

As long as Protas doesn’t play in more than nine NHL games next season (a likely scenario at this point), his contract will eventually slide and will still have three years remaining on it heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

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