Capitals hope newly promoted Ilya Protas gives team ‘jolt’ in playoff hunt

Alex Ovechkin now has two teammates born after his NHL debut to join him for the final four games of what could be the captain’s final season.

Washington elevated 19-year-old Ilya Protas — the younger brother of Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas — to the NHL roster ahead of Wednesday’s game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

“It’s just unbelievable. I couldn’t believe it for a second. I can’t describe it,” the younger Protas said on Tuesday, after his first NHL practice. “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Having an older brother in the room is easing the transition for llya Protas. He’ll share a line with Aliaksei on the ice and occupy the locker next to him in Washington’s dressing room. The teenager is living in his big brother’s guest room, for now.

Debuting alongside his older brother — the one who helped keep him in line during their childhood and acted as a coach and trainer in recent summers — has Ilya Protas pinching himself.

“If you would’ve told me in my childhood, I would hang up the phone,” he said. “It’s spam or something. Unbelievable, really special.”

This year, Ilya Protas led the AHL’s Hershey Bears with 62 points (28 goals and 34 assists) in 66 games. He leads all AHL rookies in goals on the season. Last season, he notched 124 points across 61 games with the OHL’s Ontario Spitfires.

“He’s a hardworking guy. He absolutely deserves it,” Aliaksei Protas said of his brother’s pending NHL debut. “He earned that chance, and hopefully he makes the most of it.”

Ilya Protas is the latest evidence of the two trends driving the Capitals. First, he’s a rookie — the fifth to suit up for the team this year after Justin Sourdif, Ryan Leonard, Bogdan Trineyev and Cole Hutson.

“I’m still the new kid,” said Hutson, also 19, who debuted last month. “But it’s great. I’ve known [Ilya Protas] for a while now; we grew close at development camps. Ten games in and there’s already a guy younger than me. It just shows how young the league’s getting, how fast it moves.”

Washington elevated Hutson and the younger Protas after trading veterans Nic Dowd and John Carlson — 35 and 36 years old, respectively — ahead of the trade deadline. For years, the Capitals have been stuck in a Catch-22. They’re trying to compete during Ovechkin’s final seasons in the NHL while trying to load up the roster to compete after the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer retires.

The results have been mixed.

After slipping into the playoffs in 2024 and a second-round exit in 2025, the Capitals enter the final week of the season on the outside of the playoff picture.

Washington woke up on Tuesday morning with 87 points, three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with four games remaining. The Philadelphia Flyers have their own three-point advantage over Washington for the third postseason berth in the Metropolitan Division.

With nothing to lose and a playoff spot to gain, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said now was the right time to pair the Protas brothers.

“With where we’re at, and we’re still fighting and hanging on to stay in this race, I think him coming in, in this moment for our team, could potentially give a jolt of energy to our group,” said Carbery.

The transition won’t be seamless for Ilya Protas or the coaching staff. They’re still trying to figure out how to easily differentiate between the two towering Belarusian forwards.

“I’m trying to figure out how to call lines out and individuals. I had a good conversation with them, and I think we’re going to go with ’Big Pro’ and ’Pro,’” Carbery said, noting that “Little Pro,” would be a clumsy way to refer to a 6-foot-6-inch, 250-pound man. “It’s a mouthful when you’re in the heat of the moment on the bench.”

To make matters more confusing, neither brother will wear an added initial on their jerseys. Aliaksei will continue wearing No. 21, while Ilya will sport No. 62. The duo will even share the ice at the same time. They anchored a line alongside Tom Wilson during Tuesday’s practice.

“Trying to make [Ilya] as comfortable as possible,” Carbery said. “I think [it’s] the insulation and him being able to communicate with his brother helping him through.”

Simulations from MoneyPuck gave Washington a 6% chance to make the postseason after Sunday’s disastrous 8-1 defeat against the New York Rangers. To make an unlikely run, the Capitals would almost certainly need to win each of their remaining games while receiving help from the four teams ahead of them in the standings.