The Washington Capitals signed their 2024 NHL Draft selection Ilya Protas to a three-year entry-level contract carrying an average annual value of $889,167, the teams announced on Saturday.
Protas, 17, was picked up by the Capitals with their 75th-overall pick in last week’s draft, with Washington moving up seven spots to nab the Belarusian forward.
At 6-foot-5 and 198 pounds, Protas managed 51 points in 37 games with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) during the 2023-24 season.
Ilya’s older brother, Aliaksei, was also selected by the Capitals in the 2019 NHL Draft, with the two becoming just the second set of brothers to be drafted to the Capitals in the team’s history.
If featured in an NHL lineup, Ilya will become the 20th player from Belarus to suit up in the league, joining the likes of his brother Aliaksei, as well as forward Mikhail Grabovski, who is also the nation’s all-time points leader in the NHL.