- Alberts Smits assisted on both Rangers goals in his first game in New York colors
- The No. 5 pick was also on the ice for all three Flyers goals in a 3-2 loss
- Read below for how the Rookie Series opener turned chippy at the final horn
Alberts Smits put both sides of his game on the ice Saturday night in Allentown.
The No. 5 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft assisted on both New York goals in his first game in a Rangers sweater, a 3-2 loss to the Flyers in the opener of the two-game Rookie Series at PPL Center. He was also on the ice for all three Philadelphia goals.
Both Rangers goals came on the power play, and Smits picked up an assist on each. He played catch with Liam Greentree at the point late in the first, and Greentree’s shot deflected off Dylan Roobroeck and past Carson Bjarnason. Then, 93 seconds into the third, Smits helped set up Nathan Aspinall for a snipe from the top of the left circle.
Watch Aspinall pull New York within one:
The rougher side showed up early. Alex Ciernik pried the puck off Smits behind the New York net and slid it toward the slot, where Matthew Gard crashed in unmarked and jammed home the opener less than five minutes into the game.
Here’s the goal that started it:
Smits coughed the puck up a few more times in that first period before he settled in. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Latvian spent last season with Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga and signed his three-year entry-level deal in July, when he became the highest-drafted Latvian in league history.
Philadelphia’s top line did most of the damage. Jett Luchanko and Alex Bump combined on two goals, and Bump buried a Luchanko feed 44 seconds into the third for what held up as the winner. Bump took first star.
Take a look at the game-winner:
Carson Bjarnason got the win in the Philadelphia net. Callum Tung took the loss for New York after keeping the Rangers in it through a second period they spent chasing.
Then the horn sounded and everybody found a dance partner. Ty Murchison and Roobroeck traded punches at the blue line while Noah Powell squared off with Jacob Battaglia, according to Broad Street Hockey.
The two sides settle it Sunday at 5 p.m. ET in the same building.
