New York Rangers fans will get a chance to see the recently selected fifth overall pick as soon as Opening Night. Albert Smits signed a three-year, entry-level contract worth $1.075 million per season, bringing a unique blend of size, speed, skill and aggression.
The Rangers remade their blue line this summer, both in the short- and long-term. It’s not a guarantee that the rookie defender makes the team on opening night, but signing his contract guarantees he’ll get that chance.
Elite Prospects issued high praise on the Latvian defender, giving him an A-grade as a prospect and ranking him No. 12 in their annual draft guide,
Highly mobile, hyper-aggressive, and physical defenceman who could go inside the top five – a high-certainty top-four NHLer, potentially playing next season.
What do we know about defenseman Alberts Smits?
Smits is a left-handed defenseman standing just a shade under 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 209 pounds. He played massive minutes in seemingly every situation last year. He dominated for Jukurit at the U20 level before being promoted to Jukurit in Finland’s professional Liiga. Smits also starred for Latvia in the Olympics and for EHC München while on loan in the German professional DEL.
The Latvian defender drew praise as one of the most pro-ready players in the 2026 NHL Draft. Scott Wheeler, prospect writer for The Athletic, recently ranked Smits higher than Elite Prospects at fifth overall. He ranked him as the ninth overall prospect in the entire NHL. That list encompasses multiple draft classes‘ worth of NHL prospects. Corey Pronman, also of The Athletic, ranked Smits as a top-three player in the recent draft class.
Newly signed Alberts Smits is a high-ceiling player. Generally, there’s a belief that he’s a safe pick to make the NHL. His combination of athleticism, size and instincts won’t limit him to the category of high-floor, low-ceiling. Pronman referred to him as a potential top-pairing defenseman with similar traits to Capitals defender Jakob Chychrun.
Smits could fit into New York’s opening night puzzle.
The Rangers’ top four looks pretty set for this season, likely featuring a return of the pairing of Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Fox. That pairing performed very well in 873 minutes together for New York. Of 119 defense pairings that played at least 300 minutes last season, that pairing ranked ninth in MoneyPuck’s expected goals model.
The acquisitions of Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi in separate trades likely make up the Rangers’ second pair, though it is possible the Rangers could mix and match some. Pettersson had a difficult year, though he still grades out favorably as a defender. Durzi provides more of an offensive focus, potentially as insurance for Adam Fox. The superstar defender from the North Shore of Long Island missed 27 games last season. The Rangers went 8-16-3 without him last season.
The Rangers’ potential rookie defender will likely battle Matthew Robertson, Urho Vakanainen and Drew Fortescue for that final spot on the third pair, likely standing next to Braden Schneider. The right-handed defender is coming off a difficult season. He parlayed that into a one-year ‘prove it’ contract with the Rangers. If Schneider is dealt before Smits makes it to the NHL, the Rangers could still look to Scott Morrow. Morrow was the centerpiece prospect in the trade of defenseman K’Andre Miller, but his future with the club is uncertain. Morrow and fellow right-handed defenseman Vincent Iorio are unsigned restricted free agents.
Smits might start the year in the AHL, but it likely won’t be long before the New York Rangers call up the Latvian. Their remodeled blue line might be counting on it.
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