Aliaksei Protas 2023 Report Card

Next up on our Washington Capitals end of season player report cards we take a look at the season of Aliaksei Protas. The 2019 third rounder played in more games this season thanks in large part to a lot of injuries harming the Caps.

Protas appeared in 58 games which is 25 more than he played the previous season. He finished with four goals and 11 assists for 15 points. Decent. But the bad stat line is the plus minus where he finished with a -8. He also had 15 blocks and 39 hits with 12 penalty minutes while averaging 11:31 minutes of ice time.

Three of Protas’ four goals this season resulted in Caps wins. Those came over the New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators on the road and the Tampa Bay Lighting at home. The one loss was the Disney Channel game against the New York Rangers.

Protas had the highest Corsi For percentage among Capitals centers with 53.18 percent. He also had an Expected Goals For percentage of 54.56 percent and a High Danger Chances For percentage of 54.59 percent, via Natural Stat Trick.

Protas also appeared in nine games with the Hershey Bears where he had two goals and three assists for five points. He got loaned to Hershey for their Calder Cup playoff run which begins tonight in Charlotte against the Checkers.

This season in the NHL Protas set single season career highs in games played, goals, assists and points. The six foot six, 235 pound forward that’s nicknamed The Viper ranked second among Capitals rookies in plus/minus with a plus four in his rookie season.

Grade B+: His game is definitely trending upward and I’m excited to see what Protas can do if he suits up for a full 82 game season. I think he’s earned it and he’s going to be fun to watch with the Bears this spring.