Ilya Protas

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)