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Why Rangers top pick Smits stands out with ‘don’t give a s*** attitude’
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- Why Rangers top pick Smits stands out with ‘don’t give a s*** attitude’
There's a lot to like about Alberts Smits , who very well could end up on the New York Rangers blue line this season as an 18-year-old rookie. There isn't simply one thing that stands out about Smits, New York's top prospect after he was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in this year's NHL Draft, but many reasons he's a special player.
Smits is a mature young man, one who left his native Latvia at age 13 to pursue his hockey dreams. Last season, he more than held his own playing in a pair of European professional leagues, then against NHL players at the Milan-Cortina Olympics and IIHF World Championship.
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It was his steady performance at the Olympics, when he had two assists in four games and was third among Latvian defensemen averaging 18:44 TOI, that drew the most attention. Hockey people raved about Smits after his showing in Milan, and he wound up the No. 2 ranked international skater by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the draft, behind forward Ivar Stenberg from Sweden.
"What sold me on Smits was he had a 'I don't give a [blank]' attitude playing against [Team USA captain] Auston Matthews. Didn't care. And he doesn't care who he lines up against," NHL prosects expert Russ Cohen told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. "You know sometimes players struggle in New York. especially coming from Europe, if they're not comfortable in their surroundings New York can be a lot. He doesn't care. Nothing will bother this guy. He will do the same thing every day, go to the rink, shut out the outside world, and that will make him very successful.
The lasting image of Smits in Milan was of him crushing Matthews with a hit in his Olympics debut, a 5-1 loss to the United States. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, physicality is a bit big part of Smits' game. But for a teenager to unload on one of the most elite players in the world on the biggest international stage certainly was impressive.
"I'm here to show what I can do on the ice," Šmits told reporters after that first Olympic game. "I'm here to compete and not to admire other players."
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Alberts Smits faces high expectations with Rangers
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If Smits wins a job out of training camp, it'll likely be on the third defensive pairing alongside Braden Schneider . With general manager Chris Drury stressing that the Rangers won't rush Smits , he'd slot in on the left side behind Vladislav Gavrikov and Marcus Pettersson .
There's also the very real possibility Smits begins the season with Hartford of the American Hockey League, which isn't a bad thing at all. That would only make him more ready for the NHL after piling up his first pro minutes in North America.
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But in the big picture, Smits projects to be a top-four defenseman, a physical shutdown blueliner. In a perfect world, he begins his NHL journey on the third pair, then graduates to the second pair down the road, learning from Gavrikov until he's ready to swap places one day with Adam Fox's current partner.
Some question his offensive upside, after he totaled 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 38 games with Jukurit in Finland a year ago. Of course, that was pretty good considering he played against grown men. Representing Latvia at the 2026 World Junior Championship, Smits had five points (one goal, four assists) in five games.
"If you want to say Smits doesn't have the offensive game, I'd challenge you to watch him against players his own age," Cohen explained. "When he was in junior hockey overseas, he had a lot of moves. It's just that when he started moving up the ladder, and eventually the Olympics, he had to play a certain role."
Smits doesn't project to be, say, Chase Reid nor Daxon Rudolph, offensive-minded defensemen also selected in the first round this year, as far as production goes. But Smits will produce, according to Cohen.
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"He's going to score points … if he gets 45-50 and is really physical and shutting down guys, you're going to be happy. And he's going to do it," he stated.
As for what happens this season in the short term, Cohen said "He's probably going to make the team, and I'm not sure if I'm fully on board with that right away. I'd like to see him go a little slower. But if they don't, he'll adapt, and he'll be really good."
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