Playing faster, Protas forcing his way up Caps’ depth chart originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Capitals entered training camp without much room for young prospects to crack the roster. Aliaksei Protas may force them to make some tough decisions.
Protas, 22, has stood out thus far this preseason for his improvement as a skater and the Capitals have tried him out at all three forward positions. After scoring three goals with six assists in 33 games for Washington as a rookie last season, he added weight over the summer and worked to improve his speed on the ice.
“I feel better than last year. Physically and mentally last season was kind of getting tired after 10 minutes, 12 minutes,” Protas said in a press conference Monday. “This season it is a little better. Now I feel like faster and stronger so it’s good.”
He added that he now weighs 235 pounds, up 10 from a year ago. Both the extra weight and quicker feet have put him in a better position to take advantage of his 6-foot-6 frame and helped him survive Washington’s first three rounds of cuts.
“I feel like I get better on forecheck, I can get closer to the D-man, even defensively I can [take a] couple strides to help me to get closer, put more pressure on the defensemen, the forwards,” Protas said of how his game has opened up with his newfound speed. “Be like a step closer everywhere.”
In Saturday’s exhibition contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Protas notched his first goal and second point of the preseason from the center position on a line with Anthony Mantha and Garnet Hathaway. He’s the only player who’s suited up in all four preseason games thus far.
“It looks like he got — I don’t want to say bigger, because he’s a big boy,” winger T.J. Oshie said early in camp. “But looks like he got a little stronger.”
Protas’s ability to play multiple positions bodes well for his chances of making the Capitals’ roster. Even with Nicklas Backstrom sidelined indefinitely due to a hip injury, center looks to be one of the team’s deepest positions with Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dylan Strome, Lars Eller and Nic Dowd handling most of the reps there in practice.
On the wings, Protas’s biggest competition for playing time is fellow prospect Connor McMichael. The 2019 first-round pick entered camp with the opportunity to cement his place among the Capitals’ top 12 forwards, particularly with Backstrom and winger Tom Wilson on the shelf to begin the year. Like Protas, he can play both center and on the wing.
Protas has outplayed McMichael in camp, so far. Though the Capitals could carry both on the roster, one would likely have to settle for being a healthy scratch until an injury or two opens another spot.
Head coach Peter Laviolette wouldn’t commit to keeping either one or two extra forwards on the 23-man roster, but that will be a key decision for Protas and McMichael given the case winger Joe Snively has made to be their 13th forward.
“The same I did for the first couple weeks, just compete and do everything I can,” Protas said when asked what he needs to do the rest of camp to earn his spot. “Competition is good for everyone moving forward. You get experience you’ll need for future, which is great. Everyone is getting better with competition.”
