Alberts Smits drives Rangers' early-season success with quiet defensive mastery

Five games into his NHL career, Alberts Smits has yet to record a point. He has taken one official shot on goal. He is playing on the New York Rangers' third defense pair and hasn't received any special-teams time. Yet, through five games, the 18-year-old is already making a legitimate argument that he's one of the Blueshirts' biggest under-the-radar reasons for their 4-1 start.

Smits isn't the same type of dynamic, flashy, puck-dominant defenseman as fellow 18-year-old and Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer, on Long Island, and he shouldn't be evaluated like one. Šmits' early impact has been much subtler. You can see it in the forechecker he pins against the boards, the passing lane he closes with his reach, and the extra second he creates with the puck before making the right decision. Those little plays added up Sunday night during the Rangers' 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth. Smits played 16:12, his second-highest total through four games, and finished fourth in the locker room with a 62.1 percent share of the expected goals at five-on-five. He didn't record a point, but the boys on Broadway consistently controlled play while he was on the ice.

For an 18-year-old defenseman playing in his fourth NHL game, that is extraordinary. The most impressive part wasn't one spectacular end-to-end rush. It was how comfortable Smits looked doing things that young defensemen usually struggle with. The Athletic dove into each of his shifts, and as they noted, on his first shift, he beat Michael Carcone to a loose puck behind the Rangers' net, absorbed the contact and quickly moved it along the back wall to Braden Schneider. The Rangers exited the zone, and Smits got off the ice without extending the shift or putting himself in danger. It looked simple. That was the point.

Smits rarely turns routine situations into complicated ones. Only five of his 18 shifts Sunday lasted longer than a minute. He wasn't chasing extra offensive-zone time, forcing low-percentage plays or getting stuck on the ice after passing up an opportunity to change. Later in the frame, he pressured former Blueshirt Vincent Trocheck, who was making his MSG return, along the boards and forced him to move the puck. Smits then used his reach to disrupt Carcone, create a turnover, and help send the Rangers in the other direction. He eventually joined the play and produced his only shot on goal, a one-timer from the top of the left circle. That sequence showed practically everything that has made Smits stand out so quickly: size, mobility, anticipation, and the confidence to become involved offensively without abandoning his responsibilities.

Alberts Smits game already translating

The Rangers drafted Smits fifth overall because they believed those traits would translate. Through four games, they already have. His 6'3", 208-pound frame certainly helps. He doesn't look physically overwhelmed by NHL forwards, which is usually the first concern with a teenage defenseman. He can pin opponents against the boards, separate them from the puck, and use his long stick to end plays before they fully develop.

However, plenty of large defensemen need years to learn how to handle NHL speed. Smits' skating lets him close quickly, while his experience playing professionally in Finland and Germany, and representing Latvia at the Olympics, prepared him for the strength and pace of playing against grown men.

What separates him most, though, might be his composure. With 6'6" Utah forward Daniil But pressuring him from behind, Smits didn't panic and throw the puck up the boards. He faked one direction, moved back the other way, and found Noah Laba with a controlled pass through the middle. Laba advanced the puck to Will Cuylle, creating a two-on-one opportunity.

That patience has given the Rangers cleaner exits and prevented opponents from extending possessions. Smits has also shown a natural feel for when to attack. He repeatedly stepped down from the blue line to stop Utah's clearing attempts. When Logan Cooley tried to generate speed through the neutral zone, Smits immediately closed on him and poked the puck away. His aggressive instincts can occasionally pull him out of position, but so far, his reach and mobility have allowed him to recover from most mistakes.

Rangers are bringing Smits along the right way

That is where Mike Sullivan deserves some credit. The Rangers aren't asking their Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award winner to do everything immediately. He remains on the third pair with Braden Schneider, isn't killing penalties, and has occasionally skated beside Adam Fox following a Rangers penalty kill because both defensemen are fresh. Sullivan is giving him enough responsibility to grow without overwhelming him, and Smits has rewarded that trust by providing the Rangers with a remarkably steady floor.

The next stage will be developing the offensive side of his game. Smits owns a heavy left-handed shot, but he has struggled to find opportunities to use it. He has taken only two shots through five games, both against Utah. As he becomes more comfortable reading offensive-zone possessions, the coaches will want to see him create additional shooting lanes and become more assertive with the puck.

There will also be mistakes. The organization will have to manage his workload and allow him to learn without treating every error like evidence that he doesn't belong. The Blueshirts have spent years searching for defensemen who can move the puck without sacrificing defensive structure. In Smits, they may have found someone capable of doing both, and someone who already looks far more comfortable than an 18 year old has any right to look. The points will eventually come. The role will grow. The mistakes will arrive, too.

Smits' aggressive nature sometimes causes him to lunge in pursuit of the puck, and an 84-game season will test his resolve and focus. The Blueshirts will have to manage his workload and allow him to learn without treating each error like evidence that he doesn't belong.

Five games are nowhere near enough to declare what the newest #12 in Broadway blue will ultimately become. Still, it has been more than enough to understand why the scouts were willing to bet on him and why he already looks like he belongs.

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