Making the Case: Alberts Smits

You may have noticed by now, whether from the draft coverage here at Blueshirt Banter or any other media source, but there is an excess of top defensive talent in the 2026 NHL Draft that the New York Rangers will have to pick from. Alberts Smits, who represented Latvia and was the youngest player in the 2026 Olympic Games, is in that group. But where he will be drafted is a genuine unknown and will be determined by what each team covets more.

Player Information

Out of all the defensive prospects teams are considering in this draft, Smits is likely the closest to being NHL-ready. Standing at 6-3 and playing a physical game, he has already spent the last year playing with men on various different stages—whether that was in the Olympics, helping Latvia win their first ever Olympic match, averaging more than 20 minutes a night for Jukerit in the top Finnish league, or skating hard for EHC Munchen to advance to the semifinals in the professional German League, the DEL.

Smits’s ceiling is that of a number one defenseman. He has the defensive acumen, physical traits, and has showcased an offensive flair throughout his development. Before jumping into Finland’s top league, Smits’s play quickly blossomed, and by the end of his time in the U18 and U20 leagues, his dominance on both sides of the ice was clear. He was feasting on smaller, weaker competition—playing with his food, in a sense. He scored 10 goals with his booming shot and added 10 assists in his last U18 stint, then added six goals and four assists the next season in his brief U20 experience. After these performances in the last two seasons, Smits stayed with Jukerit’s top team and still managed six goals and 13 points in 38 gamess. That's no easy feat for a defenseman, especially one who turned 18 in the middle of the season.

Smits was old enough to make the Olympic cutoff and represented Latvia, notching an assist in their first-ever win on the Olympic stage. It was his play at that international level that really opened people’s eyes. In other leagues and even at the World Junior Championships, Smits controlled the play. He leaned on his high level of skating ability and slick puck-handling to roam the ice. The defenseman would often dump the puck into the zone and chase it down, beating the opposing defenseman and his own forwards to the puck. It wasn’t until this level of play continued at the Olympics that pundits really thought he could be something special. It most definitely solidified his already high trending draft stock.