SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Hershey Bears forward Ilya Protas has been voted the winner of the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding rookie for the 2025-26 season.
The award was voted on by coaches, players and members of the media representing each of the league’s 32 cities. Protas is the first Bears player to win the Garrett Award since Ron Hextall in 1985-86.
The 19-year-old Protas led all AHL rookies in scoring and tied for sixth overall in the league with 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 69 regular-season games for Hershey in 2025-26, pacing the team in goals, points, power-play goals (11) and plus/minus rating (+17). His 66 points were the fourth-most by a teenager in AHL history, and the most by a Bears rookie since 1990-91 (Craig Fisher). Protas scored a goal in seven consecutive games from Nov. 14 to Nov. 29 – tied for the longest such streak in the AHL this season – and he set league single-game highs with five assists and six points in Hershey’s 8-1 win at Hartford on Apr. 4.
Protas, a third-round selection by Washington in the 2024 NHL Draft, made his debut with the Capitals on Apr. 8 and notched one goal and three assists in four NHL games. In his first pro season after finishing fourth in the entire Canadian Hockey League in scoring in 2024-25, Protas represented Hershey at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic and was voted to the AHL All-Rookie Team as well.
This award, which was first presented by the AHL in 1947, honors the late Dudley (Red) Garrett, a promising young player who lost his life during World War II while serving in the Royal Canadian Navy. Garrett split his only pro season, 1942-43, between the AHL’s Providence Reds and the NHL’s New York Rangers. Previous winners of the Red Garrett Award include Terry Sawchuk (1949), Jim Anderson (1955), Bill Sweeney (1958), Chico Maki (1961), Roger Crozier (1964), Gerry Desjardins (1968), Rick Middleton (1974), Darryl Sutter (1980), Pelle Lindbergh (1981), Mitch Lamoureux (1983), Steve Thomas (1985), Ron Hextall (1986), Brett Hull (1987), Donald Audette (1990), Felix Potvin (1992), Corey Hirsch (1993), Jim Carey (1995), Darcy Tucker (1996), Daniel Briere (1998), Darren Haydar (2003), Rene Bourque (2005), Nathan Gerbe (2009), Tyler Ennis (2010), Tyler Toffoli (2013), Matt Murray (2015), Mikko Rantanen (2016), Frank Vatrano (2016), Mason Appleton (2018), Alex Barré-Boulet (2019), Josh Norris (2020), Jack Quinn (2022), Tye Kartye (2023), Logan Stankoven (2024) and Justin Hryckowian (2025).
In operation since 1936 and celebrating its 90th-anniversary season this year, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of all players competing in the NHL are AHL graduates, and through the years the American Hockey League has been home to more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The winner of the 2025-26 Les Cunningham Award (most valuable player) will be announced Friday.