The New York Rangers fanbase was hoping that their lost 2025-26 season would result in them receiving a high draft pick via the lottery. The odds were not in their favor as they dropped to the No. 5 spot in the first round despite having the third-best odds of winning the lottery. So, that ruled the Rangers out of drafting one of the top forwards in Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Caleb Malhotra. But, that did put them in position to draft one of the top defensemen in the class.
With their pick of the top four defensemen in the class, the Rangers picked Latvia's Alberts Smits. The pick wasn't entirely surprising, since Smits was linked to the Rangers throughout the season. There was some debate whether Smits was the right pick when considering Chase Reid, who seemed like the consensus top defenseman in the class, was still on the board. But one thing Smits had going for him was he was the most pro-ready prospect in the class.
If there is one thing that can ease apprehensive Rangers fans' minds on Smits, it's that he's receiving universal acclaim in a variety of prospect rankings articles.
Alberts Smits ranked one of NHL's top prospects across multiple outlets
The Athletic's Corey Pronman recently ranked every team's farm system and the top prospects in each of them. The Rangers ranked 18th in the league, but Smits was ranked as their top overall prospect.
"Smits is a tall defenseman with impressive mobility and smarts," writes Pronman. "He can make a reliable first pass and has a big point shot, projecting to have quality amounts of offense. He isn’t a super smart puck-mover, but there’s enough touch in his game to project to be reliable with the puck in the NHL. He defends very well due to his length and feet, while also competing hard and being willing to play the body. He projects as a top-pairing defenseman."
Pronman also included Smits on his rankings for the top players and prospects under the age of 23. Smits ranked 16th on the list. He was ranked one spot behind Reid, for those that are curious. Pronman includes him in his fourth tier, which is designated for "top of the lineup" players.
Additionally, NHL.com ranked Smits as the Rangers' top prospect.
Alberts Smits is now in a position not to be thrown to the wolves as a rookie
At the time the Rangers drafted Smits, it felt as though he would be thrusted into the league to help them out. Behind Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, the depth was pretty shallow, making it entirely possible that Smits could make the second pair. But then, things changed by the start of free agency on July 1.
The Rangers aquired Sean Durzi from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Vincent Trocheck. Around the same time, the Rangers made a deal with the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Marcus Pettersson, who had previously played for head coach Mike Sullivan during their time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. With that, Durzi and Pettersson are locked in as the second pairing duo.
And just like that, Smits isn't expected to make an immediate impact as one of the top four defenseman on the roster. Well, at least for the start of the season. It's a good problem to have, as the defensive core looks a lot stronger now than it did by the end of this past season. Having Smits potentially on the third pair shows just how much better the depth is. Plus, it would allow Smits to occasionally grow into a larger role down the line. Of course, that's if general manager Chris Drury and Sullivan opt to put him on the opening night roster.
Look, Smits made a name for himself for his ability to play against pro-level talent. He played for the professional leagues in Finland and Germany, while making Latvia's roster for this year's Winter Olympics. When it comes to the latter, Smits raised his draft stock for holding his own against NHL talent in the tournament.
The expectation is that over time, Smits will be the Rangers' go-to top defenseman for the foreseeable future. His standing over various prospect ranking lists from multiple outlets show that you should feel hyped about his potential.
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