Ilya Protas

June 2025 – The hulking forward flipped a switch last season, making more than a few teams kick themselves for passing him over a couple of times in last summer’s draft. Protas dominated the OHL, picking up 124 points in just 61 games for Windsor. He won the OHL Most Sportsmanlike Player award and made the OHL Second All-Star team. He was second in the league in both points and plus/minus (plus-58), and continued that torrid scoring pace into the playoffs when he posted 25 points in just 12 games. He was dominant in every sense of the word alongside teammate and fellow giant, the 6-3 Liam Greentree (LA Kings). The two of them asserted their will on the rest of the league and those two remaining in junior for another year is just unfair, but they are ineligible for the AHL. As such, expect an extended stay in training camp and possibly even a few NHL games early on, before being sent back down. – Dobber

June 2024 – The Capitals decided to select the younger Protas in the third round, like his older brother, with pick 75. Pat Quinn

April 2024 – Protas has fallen under the radar for a number of reasons: it’s his first season in North America, his USHL team isn’t very good and he doesn’t have a booming offensive game. But he’s been one of the most improved players as the season’s gone on and has defined himself as a real offensive threat. His combination of size and effective passing makes him really hard to force into errors. He won’t knock your socks off, but he plays a simple, effective and possession focused game that makes it easy to see him as a bottom 6 option. If he adds to his repertoire and gets more creative, there may be some real top 6 potential here. This is not without precedent either, his brother Aliaksei, has seen a similar path and success as a member of the Washington Capitals. Considering this is his first year in North America, and having played in Belarus for a majority of his career, how quickly Protas has adapted may mean we are just scratching his surface – David Saad (April Ranking: HM)