Protas Re-assigned to Hershey

November 4, 2021

The Washington Capitals announced today that center Aliaksei Protas has been re-assigned to the Hershey Bears. The announcement was made by Washingtorn's senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan.

Protas, 20, made his NHL debut for the Capitals on Monday night in Tampa Bay. He has four points (1g, 3a) in six games with Hershey this season and his three assists are tied for the fifth most on the Bears.

The 6’6”, 225-pound center recorded 18 points (10g, 8a) in 58 regular season games with Dinamo Minsk during the 2020-21 season. The Vitebsk, Belarus, native tied for fifth on the team in goals and tied for eighth in points. Protas was re-assigned to Hershey on March 18 and made his AHL debut on March 31. He recorded seven points (2g, 5a) in 16 games with the Chocolate and White. Additionally, Protas represented Belarus at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, recording two assists in six games.

Protas spent the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he recorded a combined 120 points (42g, 78a) in 119 games. Along with fellow Capital Brett Leason, Protas helped the Raiders to the 2019 WHL title.

The Capitals selected Protas with their third round pick, 91st overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft.

The Bears continue the 2021-22 season, presented by Penn State Health, on Friday night in Springfield. Hershey visits the Thunderbirds at 7:05 p.m. at the MassMutual Center. The game may be viewed on AHLTV and heard across the Highmark Bears Radio Network.