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…