One of the more NHL-ready prospects available in this year’s draft is a Ranger.
The Blueshirts selected Alberts Šmits with the No. 5 pick in the NHL draft Friday night, adding the left-handed defenseman to a defensive prospect pool that is in need of some shoring up during this retool.
“It’s kind of a relief that the Rangers took me,” Šmits said on a Zoom call after he heard his name called in Buffalo. “I’m really happy to go to New York.”
Equipped with two first-round picks as Friday began, the Rangers ended up trading the No. 26 selection to Vegas — as well as one of their four third-rounders (No. 92) plus a top-10 protected first-rounder in 2028 — in exchange for young sharpshooter Pavel Dorofeyev.
Hanging on to the fifth-overall pick and still landing Dorofeyev certainly was a win for the organization. Signing the 25-year-old Russian to a seven-year, $77 million contract put a bow on the deal.
Alberts Smits, left, stands with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, after being drafted by the New York Rangers during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 26, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. AP Photo/Adrian Kraus
That fifth-overall pick was an important asset to utilize and the Rangers came away with a prospect who is believed to be the most NHL-ready defenseman available in this draft class.
The 18-year-old Šmits spent the last season playing professionally in Finland’s Liiga and for Munich in Germany’s DEL. Going up against grown men in Europe’s top professional leagues, the 6-foot-3 Latvian is said to have the build and defensive prowess to make the jump to the NHL.
It’s likely that Šmits will sign his entry-level contract sometime soon and report to New York for this upcoming training camp.
“Alberts is very competitive,” Rangers director of player personnel and director of amateur scouting John Lilley said on Zoom. “He’s a very good two-way defenseman, defends very hard, good shot, offensively moves the puck. He just has a very well-rounded game. In terms of when he’s ready to play, that’ll take care of itself. That’s not up to me. That’s something that Dru and [head coach Mike Sullivan] will figure out as we move forward, but we think he’s an excellent prospect and just thrilled to get him.
Šmits played a ton of hockey in 2025-26, participating in his first full pro season, the Olympics, World Juniors and World Championship.
Alberts Smits of Latvia in action during the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Switzerland game between Latvia and Finland at Swiss Life Arena on May 21, 2026 in Zurich, Zurich. Getty Images
At the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics this past February, Šmits made waves as the youngest player and lone draft-eligible prospect to compete in the tournament. He recorded two assists in four games for Latvia.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury, who served as assistant GM for Team USA at the Olympics, likely had a front-row seat to Šmits’ performance in Italy.
With Jukirit in the Finnish Liiga last season, Šmits posted 13 points (six goals and seven assists) in 38 games while averaging around 20 minutes per game.
“I’m a two-way defenseman,” Šmits said when asked to describe his game. “I’m trying to take care of the D-zone first. And then I also can create some offense and help the forwards in the offensive zone and create some offensive plays and try to create some chances for scoring.”
The maturity in Šmits’ game may put him on a faster track to the NHL level than some of the other prospects taken around him. There’s a hard-nosed edge to his game that the Rangers clearly covet on their back end.
Šmits, who is inspired by Detroit’s Moritz Seider, said he visited New York City last week.
“I loved it there,” he said. “It’s a great city.”
