New York Rangers select Alberts Šmits No. 5 overall in 2026 NHL Draft
Score a big one for Latvia. TheNew York Rangers selected defenseman Alberts Šmits, 18, with the fifth overall pick Friday night at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Šmits becomes just the second Latvian player to be selected in Round 1 and the first since Zemgus Girgensons went 14th overall to the Sabres in 2012, and Šmits now surpasses Girgensons as the highest-selected Latvian player in NHL history.
Šmits, a lefthanded shooter, brings an NHL-ready build at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. With his big wingspan, the defensive side of his game stands out. He’s capable of shutting down opposing teams’ top forwards and can stay with them when they’re on the attack because he has excellent mobility, and his gap control is outstanding. While Šmits doesn’t have an elite ceiling as a scorer, he’s a proficient puck-mover who can work a power play. Because he does so many different things well – he’s also a robust physical defenseman – his skill set gives him top-pair potential in the long term.
He’s been incredibly busy this season. He spent most of the year playing with Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga, then joined Munchen of the German DEL to wrap up his season, competing in 11 playoff games. Internationally, he repped Latvia at the World Junior Championship in December, then the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in February, then the World Championship in May. His final impression of the year at the Worlds was a strong one.
“He rarely looked out of place despite getting heavy responsibility as an 18-year-old,” said Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis. “Šmits might lack high-end offensive traits, but he’s actually quite smart for his age and defends exceptionally well. “
Šmits has played most of his high-level junior hockey in Finland, having moved there when he was 13 years old in hopes of improving against tougher competition.