Draft:Ilya Protas
Belarusian hockey player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ilya Protas (Belarusian: Илья Уладзіміравіч Протас, Russian: Илья Владимирович Протас; born July 18, 2006) is a Belarusian professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). Protas previously played two seasons of major junior, one for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and one for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and was selected 75th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2024 NHL entry draft. He made his professional debut in 2024 with the Hershey Bears.[1]
 | Review waiting, please be patient.
This may take 2 months or more, since drafts are reviewed in no specific order. There are 4,268 pending submissions waiting for review.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Reviewer tools
|
| Ilya Protas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
July 18, 2006 | ||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) | ||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Washington Capitals Des Moines Buccaneers Windsor Spitfires | ||
| National team |
 Belarus | ||
| NHL draft |
75th overall, 2024 Washington Capitals | ||
| Playing career | 2025–present | ||
Playing career
Protas began his junior career in 2023 playing for the the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). While playing for Des Moines, he was drafted 75th overall in the 2024 NHL entry draft by the Washington Capitals. He played in 61 games for the Buccaneers, scoring 14 goals and assisting on 37, for a total of 51 points.
For the 2024-25 season, Protas joined the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Playing in 61 games, Protas scored 50 goals and assisted on 74, for a total of 124 points. In twelve playoff games, he scored 5 goals and had 20 assists, for a total of 25 points.
Protas began the 2025-26 season playing for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. In 66 games, Protas scored 28 goals and 34 assists, for a total 62 points. Protas was called up to the Washington Capitals on April 6, 2026.[2] Protas scored his first NHL point during a 4-0 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 8th, 2026, his debut game. He then scored his first career NHL goal in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 11th, 2026.[3][4] He finished the NHL season with one goal and three assists in four games. On April 15, 2026, Protas was loaned back to Hershey.[5]
Personal life
Protas' older brother, Aliaksei, was drafted by the Capitals in the third round of the 2019 NHL entry draft.[6]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2023–24 | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | 61 | 14 | 37 | 61 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 61 | 50 | 74 | 124 | 34 | 12 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 6 | ||
| 2025–26 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 68 | 28 | 36 | 64 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||