Protas, Hutson, Leonard give Capitals glimpse into bright future

TORONTO -- Two teenagers and a 21-year-old helped the Washington Capitals keep their slim Stanley Cup Playoff hopes alive at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.

That’s reason enough for the Capitals to be excited, both for the short term and, especially, the future.

Washington’s 4-0 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs brought the Capitals to within three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Eastern Conference, with Ottawa holding a game in hand.

Of course, with only three games remaining on their schedule, their fate is out of their hands.

“If we win each game, we give ourselves a chance,” veteran forward Tom Wilson said. “I mean, we can’t control what’s going on around the League. So, you know, we have a small sample size left. 

“Hopefully, if we win out, we give ourselves a chance. We just have to take it one by one.”

In the process, Wilson said he can’t help but be stoked by what he’s seeing from the Capitals kiddie corps, both on this night, for the next week and, for that matter, for seasons to come. 

He has reason to feel optimistic like that. The victory over the Maple Leafs underscored why.

Consider their fourth goal, which came with Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll on the bench for a sixth attacker at 16:10 of the third period.

It was scored by defenseman Cole Hutson, brother of Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane, who was the winner of the 2025 Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

Cole, who was playing in just his 11th NHL game, is just 19 years old.

In what was a special moment for the Protas family, Hutson’s goal was assisted by brothers Aliaksei and Ilya. It was Ilya’s first NHL point in his first NHL game.

Ilya Protas is also just 19.

Earlier in the game, Wilson saw teammate Ryan Leonard coming out of the penalty box and hit him with a breakaway pass, which resulted in Washington’s second goal just 40 seconds into the second period. It was Leonard’s 18th goal of the season.

Ryan Leonard is 21.

It’s enough to make Wilson smile, playoffs or no playoffs.

“Our organization is in such a great spot,” the 32-year-old forward said. “They’ve done such a good job of having a good culture, a good core. And then bringing in so much good youthful talent to keep us energized and youthful. It doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup, they give us a chance to win.”

Both now and in the coming years.

“It’s a cool part of my career where I can try and help those guys,” Wilson said. “I take a lot of pride in hopefully seeing those guys succeed and have long careers in Washington.”

With future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin saying earlier in the day that he will make a decision on whether to retire during the offseason, the Capitals are a team in transition from the old guard to the new. Whether the youthful injection into the roster is enough to help lure The Great 8 back for another season remains to be seen but it certainly has to be considered a factor, especially when considering how talented some of these kids are.

This much is certain: If this proves to be Ovechkin’s final season, he gave the Protas brothers a memorable moment Wednesday by joining them on the same line for the opening face-off. For two siblings from Vitebsk, Belarus, to share Ilya’s first NHL shift with the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, it definitely was a thrill of a lifetime.

Asked about what he’ll remember about his first game, Ilya replied: “Everything. Rookie lap. First shift. And obviously the game. We got two points. And I got to share my first NHL point with my brother. So, yeah, a little bit of everything.”

Including being Ovechkin’s linemate for puck drop.

“It’s unbelievable,” Ilya said. “When the boys were reading the starting lineup and I heard I was with my brother and the big man, I was so nervous and shaky for a bit. But yeah, it was special. I couldn’t believe it for a second after that shift.”

Just like it was hard to fathom that he’d be one day playing in the NHL with Aliaksei, who is six years older.

“I know when I was dreaming about the NHL, it was like … I would probably have to be drafted by the same organization,” said Ilya, who would end up being selected in the third round (No. 75) in the 2024 NHL Draft. “Then I would have to get into the lineup. And then be on the same line with him? It was something I never thought about, something that never crossed my mind.

“But then you get with the same organization. And then you start thinking about it more. And when I was playing in the American Hockey League this season, you start thinking about it because it’s one step closer.

“I’m so happy that this dream came true.”

In the giddiness of the dressing room, the two brothers posed with the puck used for Ilya’s inaugural NHL point. If Wednesday was any indication, it was the first of many.