標籤: Ilya

Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas has a bright future. Aliaksi’s younger brother was named AHL Rookie of the Year for his performance with the Hershey Bears.

On Thursday, Protas won the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s most outstanding rookie for 2025-26. The 19-year-old now becomes the second Hershey player to win the award, joining Ron Hextall.

Protas led all AHL rookies in scoring with 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 69 games, the fourth-most points by a teenager. He also led the Bears in goals, power-play goals, shots on goal (147), and plus-minus (17) this season.

The 19-year-old was eventually called up to the Capitals to help them make a late playoff run. Protas recorded one goal and three assists for four points in four games, which the Capitals ultimately won.

Protas is likely to return to the NHL full-time next season. For now, he’s back with Hershey for the Calder Cup playoffs, focused on the first line. He scored a goal to help the Bears defeat the Bridgeport Islanders in Game 1.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

Ilya Topuria has changed his position on a possible fight with Arman Zarukyan. The lightweight champion had previously stated that he would vacate his belt rather than face the Armenian contender, citing a lack of confidence that Tsarukyan would actually be able to make it to the octagon.

According to Topuria, that stance has now changed ariel helwani show That he is ready to fight whoever is put in front of him on June 14 at UFC White House.

Topuria said, “If they call me tomorrow and tell me Justin is injured and I have to fight Arman, I’ll fight Arman, no problem.” “If they call me and tell me that Armaan is injured and I have to fight Ariel, then I will fight Ariel, no problem. I can go anywhere, anytime, I am ready.”

Ilya Topuria Record: 17-0 (7 knockouts, 8 submissions)

The context behind this change is Tsarukyan’s ongoing campaign to replace Justin Gaethje as Topuria’s opponent on the card. Tsarukyan has publicly advised Gaethje to step back so he can intervene, and has stated his intention to be ready for the June 14 date. A replacement fight seems unlikely in that scenario even if Gaethje pulls out due to Topuria’s past resistance, but his latest comments have removed that hurdle.

The willingness to take the fight doesn’t mean Topuria has developed any new respect for Tsarukyan. During an appearance on the same Helwani show, he made his opinion about the contender very clear.

“He’s a kid. His mentality, he’s stupid,” he said. “Everything I’ve seen about him on the internet is embarrassing. F— Arman, who cares about him? He’s not at my level. If we meet on the road, I’ll break his jaw in the first round.”

With Paddy Pimblett currently out of the lightweight title picture, Topuria vs. Tsarukyan is widely considered the most compelling matchup available in the division. Whether it takes place at the White House or at a future date depends on Gaethje’s health, but Topuria’s updated status means the fight now has a real path to happening sooner rather than later.

of leeds united Ilya Gruev says he is very happy at the Premier League club and is not thinking about leaving them.

The 25-year-old arrived at Elland Road from Werder Bremen in August 2023 and has made 86 appearances for Leeds United so far.

Last season, he made 25 appearances as his minutes were partially limited due to a knee injury. The midfielder won the championship with the Whites and this is the only silverware of his career so far.

back in january, the player said When asked if he wanted to live in the present or dream of something bigger he replied “I want more”.

Daniel Farke convinced him to join Leeds United

transfermark.de Interviewed Ilya Gruev to discuss a range of topics relating to the English club and his time with them so far.

Finally, he talks about how his move to Leeds United shaped up and what his future plans are.

The Bulgaria international said that Daniel Farke’s call up was one of the main reasons for his joining the Whites, who were in the Championship at the time.

“Of course, this was a time-sensitive move. The transfer window was only open for a few more days. Leeds offered me a clear plan, and the phone call with Daniel was very promising. He showed me what kind of project was being developed at Leeds,” He said.

“And then, there was the dream of playing in the Premier League with a club full of tradition like Leeds. Looking back, it was a very good decision, and everything fell into place perfectly.

“This move was not at all easy for me, because I played for Werder for eight years. I was promoted with Werder and played my first Bundesliga season. But I was ready for a new challenge, and when the offer came from Leeds, it was a very exciting opportunity.”

The player has no plans to leave Leeds United in the summer and has opened up about his long-term plans.

“I feel very comfortable here and see how the club is developing. The long-term plan is to become a top 10 team in the Premier League.” Gruev explained.

“If you can be part of that journey as a player and compete against the elite every week, that’s an absolute success. Fans also look at which players have been with the club for how long. They’re happy with the guys who have been there from the beginning.”

leeds united’s remaining matches this season

Daniel Farke’s side are 15th in the table, eight points ahead of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

The Whites have at least six matches left this season, including the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Sunday.

Leeds United’s fixtures are as follows:

• vs afc bournemouth [away] on 22nd April
• in chelsea [FA Cup] on 26th April
• v burnley [home] on 2 may
• at tottenham hotspur [away] on 11th may
• vs brighton and hove albion [home] tbd
• vs West Ham United on 24 May

The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Ilya Protas from AHL Hershey. Ilya is the younger brother of Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas.

Protas, 19, could make his NHL debut this Wednesday when the Capitals visit Toronto. The young Russian forward nicknamed “Little Pro” is already making a splash with the Hershey Bears this season.

Protas has recorded a team-high 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) in 66 games with Hershey. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward leads all AHL rookies in points and is tied for sixth among all skaters.

Protas currently leads the Bears in goals, points, power-play goals, power-play points, shots and plus-minus. The 19-year-old most recently recorded a career-high six points (one goal, five assists) against Hartford on April 4. It was the AHL’s first six-point game since 2019.

The Capitals originally selected Protas in the third round (75th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft. Ilya was selected five years after older brother Aliaksei, who was also drafted in the third round in 2019.

The Capitals are currently three points out of the playoff positions with four games left in the regular season. Will Little Pro’s NHL debut be enough to reach the playoffs?

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

Ilya Topuria has caused a stir in the MMA world with a social media post indicating that his period of forced inactivity may be coming to an end. On Tuesday, the undefeated UFC lightweight champion shared a cryptic message with his millions of followers on Instagram: “Big news coming soon.”

The post, which features an eye-catching graphic from UFCStar, comes at a key moment for the 155-pound division, as the champion appears ready to reclaim his throne after an eight-month hiatus defined more by court battles than octagon wars.

The “personal matters” that sidelined Topuria following his knockout win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 have finally been resolved. Topuria was embroiled in a controversial legal dispute with his ex-wife Georgina Uzcategui, which involved serious but unfounded allegations. However, after the case was recently dismissed and the settlement signed, Topuria has turned his focus back to his MMA legacy.

His return to the gym was punctuated by a previous post declaring, “The champion is back!!!”, a sentiment that has now evolved into the promise of a concrete announcement. The “big news” could take many forms, but all signs point to the UFC’s historic event on June 14.

Topuria has long expressed a desire to compete on the “White House” card, a fitting platform for a man who considers himself the pound-for-pound king. While a unification bout against interim champion Justin Gaethje is the most logical option, Topuria has publicly flirted with an even more ambitious goal: a jump to 170 pounds to challenge Islam Makhachev.

“Maybe I’ll have another fight, and then there’ll be a date in the summer when [the UFC] Topuria recently suggested, “Let me move up to welterweight. Or maybe they’ll create a new belt called the ‘pound-for-pound title’ at catchweight and I’ll fight for it.” [it]”

Fueling the superfight rumors is Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. In a recent post on

If Topuria and Makhachev are indeed being paired for a cross-divisional clash, it would mark a major change in the UFC’s 2026 strategy, potentially blurring the traditional lightweight title picture in which Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira currently await.