The Washington Capitals, the National Hockey League affiliate of the Hershey Bears, have recalled forward Ilya Protas from Hershey. The announcement was made by Washington senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick.
Protas, 19, ranks first in scoring among American Hockey League rookies this season and sixth in overall league scoring with a team-leading 62 points (28g, 34a) in 66 games. Protas' 10 power-play goals are tied for seventh in the league and ranks second among rookies.
The native of Vitebsk, Belarus represented Hershey at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, Illinois in February. He leads Hershey in goals (28), power-play goals (10), points (62), power-play points (17), plus-minus (+16), and shots (141). Protas' 28 goals are the most in a single season by a teenaged player for the Bears, breaking the previous mark of 20 established by Réal Chevrefils in 1951-52.
Protas has recorded 16 multi-point games, including registering six points (1g, 5a) in Hershey's 8-1 win at Hartford on April 4, marking the first six-point game by a Bears player since Mathieu Perreault recorded six assists on Nov. 14, 2010 vs. Binghamton, and the first by an American Hockey League player since Alan Quine (3g, 3a) for Stockton at San Jose on Dec. 27, 2019.
When Protas has recorded at least a point this year, the Bears have posted a 22-9-2-3 record, with Hershey's 22 wins representing the most earned when an individual player on the team's roster makes their way onto the scoresheet. The club is also 14-7-4-2 when Protas finds the back of the net
The 6'6", 225-pound center was Washington's third-round selection (75th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft and he is in the first year of a three-year, entry-level NHL contract signed with the Capitals on July 6, 2024. Ilya's older brother, Aliaksei, was drafted by the Capitals in the third round (91st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft and helped Hershey win the Calder Cup in 2023. Aliaksei has recorded 168 points (67g, 101a) in 317 career games with Washington after scoring 36 points (12g, 24a) in 67 games with Hershey over parts of three seasons.
The Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they visit the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, April 11 at 4 p.m. at Bojangles Coliseum. Hershey returns home to host the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday, April 18 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for Racing Night and Toyota License Plate Night, featuring a Bears license plate giveaway to the first 6,000 fans in attendance, courtesy of Toyota. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.
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