Ilya Protas did whatever his coach, Aliaksei Protas, told him to do over the summer: ‘You see how he works and you’ve got to work the same way’

ANNAPOLIS, MD — After a successful debut year in the OHL, Ilya Protas knew he needed a strong offseason of training before returning to DC in the fall. Luckily for him, he knew just the right coach for the job: Aliaksei Protas, his older brother and current Capitals winger.

“(I focused on) what my coach told me to do — it was my brother,” the younger Protas said at Capitals Rookie Camp on Friday. “So what he wanted me to do, I did.”

The two brothers have long had a close relationship: Aliaksei served as something of a “second mom” to Ilya in childhood and was thrilled when the Capitals drafted Ilya last June. But that didn’t make him an easy mentor, Ilya said.

“Yeah, sometimes (he’s demanding),” Ilya told reporters with a laugh, “but it doesn’t go great. We always — being with each other at the practices — kind of yell. He yells more at me, though.”

On the ice, the pair’s offseason training stayed largely the same—something Ilya attributed to their excellent performances in 2024-25. Aliaksei was arguably the Capitals’ best player in a breakout season, more than doubling his previous career high with 66 points (30g, 36a) in 76 games. Ilya, meanwhile, ranked second in the OHL in scoring in his first year with the Windsor Spitfires, recording 124 points (50g, 74a) and making the league’s Second All-Star Team.

Instead, much of Aliaksei’s instruction came in the gym. With Ilya looking to make the jump to professional hockey this season, off-ice conditioning took on a larger role.

“Probably most of (what Aliaksei told me to do) was conditioning and physical, stuff in gym,” he said. “Because my next step, I want to make pro hockey. And I’ve got to be ready — my body and physicality is a big part of it.”

Ilya’s destination for this season could depend wildly on his performance at camp. Since he was drafted out of the USHL, he’s not bound to the NHL-CHL transfer agreement that normally bars teenage prospects from leaving the CHL for the AHL, offering him the option of playing on the Hershey Bears. He could also return to the Spitfires, though he was left off the team’s preseason roster, or even end up spending time with the Capitals, a prospect Aliaksei raised over the summer.

“I want to make a team, that’s my main goal,” Ilya said. “But I want to play pro this year and I think that’s going to be my biggest step. So I’ve got be ready for it and getting prepared for it.”

Though Ilya acknowledged that his brother could be a tough mentor at times, he stood by that approach, especially since Aliaksei held himself to those same high standards.

“Yeah, but it’s always understandable, because preseason, offseason, it’s tough time.” Ilya said. ”He’s always hard on himself, for sure. You see how he works and you’ve got to work the same way with him.”

And Aliaksei’s support goes far beyond just coaching. Ilya emphasized how much he values being able to go to his brother for advice as he navigates the transition to North America.

“Oh, it’s everything,” he said. “It’s literally everything. Every question I got, I would always call him or talk to him because he was on the same spot in the same way like where I am right now. So he always helped me with that and that’s great.”

Both brothers returned to DC in recent weeks ahead of Rookie Camp and Training Camp, allowing them to spend time together, though Aliaksei drew the line at letting Ilya move in with him.

“No, he didn’t let me, doesn’t let me stay in his house,” Ilya said with a grin, later explaining that his lack of a driver’s license made it easier to stay at a hotel near the rink. “But for sure I’m going there a lot after the practices and (am) always welcome to be there, I hope.”

He’s even taken on some babysitting duties for Aliaksei’s two-year-old daughter Alicia, something he called the “best time in my life.”

Following a few days of Rookie Camp in Annapolis, Ilya will look to impress once Training Camp kicks off next week. And after a summer of in-depth coaching, Aliaksei’s biggest piece of advice to Ilya was plenty straightforward.

“Just work hard and be a good person, first of all,” Ilya recounted. “You’re a good player if you’re here, just enjoy the time with the guys and where you are right now.”